Interior Ministry receives an alert over a jihadist call to attack police officers and protesters in Spain

The Cybersecurity Coordination Office (OCC), which reports to the Secretariat of State for Security, sent the Ministry of the Interior an alert about a message posted on a pro-Daesh website that encourages attacks on police officers and protesters during protests in several European countries, the newspaper Ara, Infobae and Alerta Siete reported on 23 October. Infobae attributes the first report to the newspaper ABC. The alert is an internal document: the Interior Ministry has made no public statements about it.

According to Alerta Siete, the message, written in English, names France, Italy, Spain and Portugal and presents the crowds at the protests as an opportunity to attack. The three outlets agree that it suggests the use of knives and explosives. Police sources cited by Ara note that this type of content is not unusual on pro-Daesh websites.

According to Alerta Siete, the alert does not set a date or specific targets in Spain, does not identify the authors of the message or describe preparations for an attack, and does not change the counter-terrorism alert level. Spain remains at level 4 on a scale of 5, in force since 26 June 2015, according to Moncloa.com.

An internal note from the Mossos d'Esquadra cited by Ara asks officers to review their service orders and equipment and to report any incident, without causing unnecessary alarm. It is not known whether the alert has led to arrests or specific investigations.