Spanish police arrest man suspected of planning terror attack in Barcelona
Spanish police have arrested a Moroccan man suspected of planning a terror attack in the name of so-called Islamic State during Spain’s coronavirus crisis.
Spain’s Civil Guard said the arrest carried out in Barcelona was aided by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation and Morocco’s state security forces.
The Civil Guard said they had been watching the suspect for four years but that his “process of radicalisation” had been accelerated during Spain’s lockdown that started in mid-March to control its Covid-19 outbreak.
Investigators suspected the man had been motivated by calls made by IS for followers to carry out attacks in their countries of residence.
Police said the suspect had made “public declarations” of his allegiance to IS and hatred for Western countries on social media.
Investigators feared he was planning an attack, perhaps using a knife or with a vehicle, in Barcelona after observing him breaking virus confinement rules to move around the city, possibly searching for a target.
