(E-Notícies) New police operation against jihadism in Catalonia. The National Police arrested a 36-year-old Moroccan man on Monday in Santa Coloma de Gramenet, accused of recruiting fighters for the Islamic State (ISIS). The detainee, who was in an advanced process of radicalization, aimed to ascend in the hierarchy of the terrorist organization.
This new arrest highlights the latent Islamist threat in Catalonia. Jihadist activity has increased over the last year and a half, and good police work has managed to thwart several attacks. Spain has been at level four reinforced anti-terrorist alert since December 2023.
Catalonia is a hot spot for Islamism in Spain due to the concentration of Islamic immigration and the proliferation of Salafism, a radical branch of Islam. One in three jihadist operations in Spain takes place in Barcelona.
