Muslim migrant plots jihadist massacre in Spain

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A Moroccan Muslim migrant was arrested by the Mossos d’Esquadra from Spanish city Catalonia, who, after being self-radicalized, planned to travel to Syria prior to committing jihadist massacre in Spain.

According to the investigations conducted by the General Information Commission (CGINF) of Mossos d’Esquadra, the person was arrested on September 2, 2022 as he entered the Center d’Internament d’Estrangers (CIE) in Barcelona.

He is accused of a crime of self-radicalization and terrorist indoctrination, as detailed by the Mossos d’Esquadra in a press release dated September 5.

According to ElNacional.cat, the self-radicalized jihadist born in 1988 is of Moroccan nationality.

Last May, a grenade from the civil war was found in an occupied home in Empuriabrava, in the Alt Empordà region. At first the explosives disposal specialists of the Catalan police took charge of the device, but the investigation continued by Information agents to find out who were the people who legally occupied this house.

Plot to commit an attack in Catalonia

Following investigation by the law enforcement agencies in Spain, identity of the person who bought the grenade was revealed. Investigators were also able to find out that the man had become more aggressive and had publicly made proclamations in favor of armed struggle and jihadist terrorist organizations. The Mossos d’Esquadra had been able to intercept messages in which he assured that he intended to leave Catalonia to go to a conflict zone, but not before committing a violent act in Spain.

The man who intended to commit the attack was a compulsive consumer of jihadist propaganda and took advantage of social networks to share it with other people, one of the facts that also helped Mossos d’Esquadra investigators to be alert. The man arrested in Alt Empordà was highly radicalized and used his contacts to spread jihadist propaganda and encourage other people to commit attacks against citizens, in Catalan territory and abroad.

Considering the level of instability presented by the man, who had access to weapons, the Mossos d’Esquadra followed him exhaustively, 24 hours a day, until this past September 2, when he could be arrested.

The Moroccan Muslim migrant was in an advanced process of radicalization with conviction and the intention to attack Catalonia. The investigation has been coordinated by the Prosecutor’s Office of the National Court and supervised by the Central Court of Inquiry number 1 of Madrid. The detainee has entered the Foreigners’ Internment Center (CIE), pending deportation proceedings for national security.

The Mossos d’Esquadra arrested two people at the beginning of the summer in Mòra d’Ebre and Vespella de Gaià, who had shown attitudes favorable to jihadist terrorism, after having self-radicalized at home. At the same time, the National Police also arrested, this summer, a person who, after returning from Syria, intended to commit attacks in Spain.

During the recent years, threats of jihadist attacks in European countries have significantly increased as thousands of illegal migrants have succeeded to enter various countries in Europe. Amongst the European countries, Italy, France, Germany was already maintaining high-alert about jihadist activities of the Muslim migrants, while the latest cases in Spain evidently prove, elements of jihadism have also entered that country.

Commenting on the risk posed by Muslim migrants in the European nations, counterterrorism experts told this correspondent that those countries need to adopt effective measures in “anyhow” stopping the inflow of illegal migrants. At the same time, while issuing visas (tourist, business and immigrant visas), embassies of Western countries need to follow strict rules and properly check backgrounds of the visa seekers especially if they had past background of having any connections with Islamist or jihadist groups. Prior to issuing visas, it is also essential to determine that these visa-seekers are not from madrassa education background.

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