Highlights
• Spanish authorities arrest 14 on suspicion of planning terror attacks
• Arrests come two months prior to called national elections scheduled for March 9, 2008
• Intelligence indicates attacks may be planned for Europe to coincide with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf’s 8-day visit to the region
• Islamist terror networks in Spain continue to flourish
On January 19, 2008, Spanish authorities arrested 14 suspected Islamist terrorists residing in Spain’s Raval neighborhood in Barcelona. Police arrested the men and raided several apartments, a mosque, and a nearby bakery in the northeastern Catalonia region.
Following the arrests and discovery of bomb making materials and timing devices, Spanish Interior Minister, Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba, announced the individuals, “belonged to a well-organized group that had gone a step beyond radicalization.” The arrests come at a concerning time as Spain prepares for its first national elections since terror attacks hit Madrid in 2004. The upcoming elections are scheduled for March 9, 2008.
As we previously reported, four years after the March 2004 train bombings, Spain continues to face significant challenges amid increasing concerns over terrorism (Previous Report). Further, we believe despite increasing efforts to enact legislation and implement anti-terrorism police action, Islamist terror networks in Spain continue to flourish.
Police Arrest 14 Terror Suspects
On January 19, 2008, Spanish authorities arrested 12 Pakistanis and two Indians in wide-reaching anti-terrorism raids in Barcelona. The overnight raids focused on the Raval neighborhood, home to Spain’s largest concentration of South Asian immigrants. The searches discovered various materials resembling explosives and materials commonly used to make explosives. Information police received from unnamed European intelligence agencies prompted the arrests.
Five residences were searched in addition to a mosque and a local bakery. According to Spanish media sources, a 15th person was arrested late in the evening in Barcelona, however there was no immediate confirmation of this arrest. Four timing devices and accompanying computer equipment were seized during the raids and are currently undergoing examination.
Following the operation, Spanish Interior Minister, Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba, stated intelligence gathering suggested, “the possibility that a terrorist action was being prepared on Spanish soil, in Barcelona to be precise.” Spanish authorities purportedly warned France, Portugal, and the United Kingdom, of the possibility of imminent terror attacks in the near-term, specifically aimed at Pakistani President, Pervez Musharraf, as he travels through Europe in the upcoming week.
Extremists Target Spain
As we previously reported, in recent months Spanish authorities have heightened security measures due to increased activities by Islamist extremists believed connected to al-Qaeda operating on Spanish soil (Previous Report). As recently as October 23, 2007, a Spanish judge indicted 22 suspected Islamist terrorists, charging them with recruiting and dispatching jihad fighters to Iraq. The following day, on October 24, 2007, Spanish authorities arrested six additional terror suspects in the northern part of the country on suspicion of utilizing the Internet to recruit and plot a so-called “world jihad.” The arrests occurred in the Burgos province and were the result of joint intelligence operations among the United States, Denmark, and Sweden.
The January 2008 arrests come at a particularly concerning time as Spanish authorities prepare for upcoming national elections scheduled for March 9, 2008. The highly anticipated elections are the nation’s first since national elections occurred in 2004, immediately following Europe’s largest terrorist attack in Madrid, Spain . Fears abound a similar attack may be planned in the lead up to the March 2008 national elections. Commenting on the arrests, Spanish Prime Minister, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero praised the intelligence services for their efforts but failed to address concerns an attack is scheduled to disrupt the elections.
Country Remains on Alert
In light of the January 19, 2008 arrests, Spain faces a re-invigorated terror threat. Further, despite continual efforts to crackdown on Islamist extremism within its borders and recent successes in anti-terrorism raids, trials and increasingly subsequent convictions, Islamist extremists continue to operate in and target Spain.
Akin to neighboring EU states, some members of Spain’s ethnic minorities remain highly susceptible to Islamic radicalization leading to homegrown extremist terrorism. Specifically, some of Spain’s immigrant population, to include persons of South Asian and North African decent, continues to be the focus for anti-terrorism authorities.
As we previously reported, we believe Spanish authorities will continue to enact legislation and increase anti-terrorism police action. However, the effects will likely be short-lived as ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan continue to incite Islamist extremism.
