Laurence Dollimore
SPANISH and Italian police have arrested 11 terror suspects accused of plotting ‘violent’ attacks in Spain by hunting ‘blasphemous’ infidels on social media.
The Policia Nacional said 10 people cuffed in Barcelona had ‘encouraged the commission of violent actions through encrypted channels.’
It said the arrests were part of the ‘third phase of an investigation in which 30 more people from a radical Pakistani organisation have been arrested.’ One person was also arrested in Piacenza, northern Italy.
In a statement yesterday, police said the suspects are accused of glorifying and financing terrorism, indoctrination and of preparing an attack.
Disturbingly, sources close to the investigation told Spanish media that the terror cell is completely independent, meaning it was created and headquartered in Spain, without the help or encouragement of international groups like ISIS or Al-Qaeda.
However, multiple transfers from abroad have yet to be fully analysed, which could shed more light on the cell’s heirachy.
El Publico reports that plans for an attack were ‘close to being carried out’ and that the ‘selecting of targets’ was at an ‘advanced stage’.
Sources quoted by the newspaper said the cell was combing social media to find ‘blasphemous’ people, including seeking out targets who had criticised Islam or the prophet Muhammad on TikTok, Instagram, Telegram and elsewhere.
The modus operandi resembles that of the horrific attack against the French magazine Charlie Hebdo (January 2015) and the murder of the French professor Samuel Paty (October 2020).
A 55-year-old Pakistani citizen, named only by his initials A.A., and who lives in Barcelona, ??is alleged to be the leader of the dismantled terrorist group.
He has been released while the investigation continues. He is said to have lived off the cell’s income and did not work. Police said he won the respect of the group’s members thanks to his age, ‘international ties’ and ‘charming’ nature.
Among the arrested is a group of women allegedly dedicated to selecting targets for an attack. Their leader has also been released under conditions.
The women all had social media accounts dedicated to following people they believed committed blasphemy and who were on the list of potential targets.
Most of the arrested helped move money for the group, including one who ran a phone shop and helped transfer tens of thousands of euros to the cell, which was found in mountains of cash during several raids this week.
The group used encrypted instant messaging channels in which they called for the decapitation and murder of ‘infidels’.
