The Spanish police apprehended 14 individuals of Pakistani origin and dismantled a suspected Islamist network operating within the country, as reported by Euro Weekly News.
The arrests were carried out as part of an operation initiated by Spain’s General Information Commissioner’s Office, responding to an increase in the anti-terrorist alert level in the country following an attack by Hamas on Israel a month prior. In response, Spanish Security Forces heightened surveillance on potential suspects to prevent potential attacks, according to Euro Weekly News.
All of the detainees, as reported by the largest English newspaper in Spain, Euro Weekly News, resided in Catalonia, Valencia, Guipuzcoa, Vitoria, Logrono, and Lleida.
La Razon, a local daily, received confirmation of the arrests from police sources. The individuals taken into custody are reportedly scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday (local time).
According to Euro Weekly News, these arrested individuals are believed to have formed a network through which jihadist messages and a high level of radicalization were transmitted online.
David Atherton, a journalist at The European Conservative, shared on the social media app X that these 14 Pakistani jihadists are allegedly associated with Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), an Islamic extremist political party in Pakistan.
“Fourteen Pakistani jihadists have been apprehended in Spain for terrorist activities. They resided in Catalonia, Valencia, Guipuzcoa, Vitoria, Logrono & Lleida. They are reportedly linked to Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan, an Islamic extremist political party in Pakistan,” he stated.
Spain’s national police conducted a comparable anti-terror operation last month, during which they apprehended four suspected jihadists, as per Euro Weekly News.
The four individuals were taken into custody in various locations, including the Granada municipality of Huetor-Tajar, Cubelles in Barcelona, and Madrid, on charges of ‘proselytism and jihadist recruitment,’ according to the Spanish weekly.
Allegedly, one of the arrested individuals, identified as “Caliph,” was described by authorities as the “creator and administrator of several groups in which he attempted to indoctrinate young people into the jihadist creed.”
A married couple, reportedly united through their participation in one of these online social media groups, was among those detained, as per Euro Weekly News. Additionally, the fourth suspected jihadist was described as an individual who had been ‘indoctrinated.’
