Eleven Arrested for Jihadist Terrorism in Catalonia: They Had Already Targeted Objectives

The Mossos d'Esquadra, in collaboration with the National Police and the Italian police, have managed to dismantle a terrorist organization linked to jihadist doctrine. This operation resulted in the arrest of eleven individuals, with most of the arrests made in Barcelona and its metropolitan area. One of the detainees was arrested in Italy.

The operation has been a significant blow against a network that operated with the aim of spreading and promoting terrorism. It also involved the glorification of violence and extremist Islamist indoctrination. During the investigation, the agents discovered that this group operated in an organized and hierarchical manner. They did so through encrypted communication channels used to transmit violent messages and slogans. Among them, the incitement to murder and behead people who were contrary to their extremist beliefs.

Additionally, in their online publications, the network's members glorified terrorist attacks committed against people accused of blasphemy in Europe and Pakistan. The group was also involved in identifying potential targets in Europe. This has been confirmed in the documentation and material found during the searches.

Catalonia, Cradle of Jihadism in Southern Europe

Barcelona and Catalonia have become an epicenter of jihadism in southern Europe. The presence of extremist groups throughout Catalan territory has increased in recent years. Beyond the attack on August 17, 2017, the arrests of jihadist terrorists in Catalonia are recurrent.

In 2024, 25% of those detained (that is, one in four) for Islamist terrorism throughout the State were living in Catalonia. A figure that rises to 30% if counted since 2015, according to data from the International Observatory of Studies on Terrorism and the Memorial Center for Victims of Terrorism. Already in 2025, we have witnessed the expulsion from the country of three Maghrebis who preached radical Islamism in Catalonia, two of them imams from Figueres and La Jonquera.

Islamist Terrorism, the Main Threat to the Security of Europe and the West

In recent months, Europe has been shaken by a series of jihadist attacks that have increased concern about the growing risk of extremist violence. At the beginning of 2025, several European cities have been the scene of multiple terrorist attacks, which have resulted in fatalities and injuries.

In February alone, there have been four attacks on European soil: two in Germany, one in Austria, and another in France. In total, five people have been murdered (including a mother and her two-year-old daughter and also a 15-year-old boy). The injured from these jihadist attacks amount to 46.

Looking back a few days, there is also a knife attack in Aschaffenburg (Germany), which left two dead. Or the multiple hit-and-run in New Orleans, which left us with a toll of 15 dead and almost 40 injured.