The Civil Guard has arrested a suspected jihadist in Barcelona who was professionally disseminating terrorist material from the Islamic State, encouraging people to join the organization to carry out attacks. The detainee, who had connections with recently arrested radical Islamists in Canada and Sweden, used messaging platforms to spread extremist content in a planned and coordinated manner, including instructions for making explosives. Spain is currently on level 4 of the anti-terrorist alert, with increased police presence due to events like the war in Gaza, the attack in Moscow, and mass gatherings during Holy Week.
The arrested individual had been on the radar of the Civil Guard since last year, when encrypted communications supporting ISIS were detected on his social media profiles. Most of the content consisted of videos of attacks around the world and tutorials for making homemade explosives. The Civil Guard highlights the dedication and effort the detainee put into this activity of dissemination and recruitment, with a clear intention of gaining supporters and increasing ISIS’s influence.
The anti-terrorist agents were also concerned about the suspect’s connections with jihadists from various continents, to whom he allegedly provided training and recruitment for terrorist activities, including ties to radicals detained in Sweden and Canada. Recently, the Norwegian police arrested a Spanish female jihadist in Oslo based on information provided by the Civil Guard. She had been arrested in Asturias in August for creating a virtual library with over 4,000 ISIS multimedia files, but had escaped after being released on bail by the National Court.
The alleged jihadist maintained strict security measures in his communications, using tools to remain anonymous online and operate clandestinely. Investigators discovered he used cryptocurrencies, leading them to probe if he was involved in terrorist financing activities. The operation was carried out through collaboration with the National Intelligence Center (CNI), the Swedish Security Service (SÄPO), the French Directorate General of Internal Security (DGSI), and Europol. The investigation was led by the Civil Guard’s Information Service, under the direction of the Central Investigating Court number 4 and the National Court’s Prosecutor’s Office.
