Arrested in Tarragona and Zaragoza two alleged jihadists who had access to weapons for their links with common crime | Spain

The National Police arrested two men on Tuesday in Zaragoza and Tortosa (Tarragona) for their alleged jihadist activity that were in an advanced state of radicalization and who had access to weapons for their links with common crime. The one arrested in Tortosa (35,500 inhabitants), 41, has entered prison, while the second investigation has been released with precautionary measures. Police activity in the fight against Islamist terrorism You are registering record figures this year. Until last March 27, 39 people have been arrested in Spain, according to the accounting of the Ministry of Interior.

Those arrested in Zaragoza and Tortosa are investigated for passive indoctrination and active indoctrination. Both consumed propaganda of the Islamic State terrorist organization (ISIS in its acronym in English) and disseminated the content selectively. The researchers had been behind them for a year and a half. At that time, they found their danger because they maintained relations with common crime, including drug trafficking, something that allowed them access to weapons in the black market, said the National Police in a statement on Friday.

The arrests of both were practiced simultaneously, just like the records of their homes, where the researchers gathered a large amount of electronic material and documentation, which is being examined by the agents specialized in the anti -terrorist struggle.

The operation, developed by agents of the General Information Police Station, has had the collaboration of the Information Brigades of Tarragona and Zaragoza, the National Intelligence Center and the US FBI. The case has been directed by the Central Court of Instruction 1 and the Prosecutor’s Office of the National Court.

The upward trend of antiyihadist operations began in October 2023, when the outbreak of the war in Gaza after Hamas’s terrorist attacks and Israel’s military response forced the Ministry of Interior to accelerate many of the investigations on suspects of radical Islamist activities in fear that the conflict pushes them to attack, according to police sources.

Drones for Hezbollah

This same Tuesday, the Civil Guard arrested in Barcelona Three people within an operation against the logistics structure of drones of Hezbollahwhose military branch is listed as a terrorist organization by the EU and is facing Israel. Those arrested are investigated for acquiring material to make drones capable of transporting explosive loads of several kilos traveling large distances. Those drones were very difficult to neutralize, even with the most advanced anti -aircraft systems. In this case, also investigated by the Central Court of Instruction 1 of the National Court, one of those arrested have entered provisional prison and the other two have been released with precautionary measures.

This latest investigation, which has also involved arrests in Germany, the United Kingdom and France, has been coordinated by Eurojust, the European Union Agency for Criminal Judicial Cooperation. This is the culmination of the operation carried out in Barcelona and Badalona (Barcelona) in July 2024, which has allowed the identification of new investigated, the accreditation of the modus operandi They used and new crimes, as reported by the Civil Guard this Friday.