Interior orders an anti-terrorist reinforcement of special intensity at Christmas, which adds to that of the Israel-Hamas conflict

MADRID, 11 Dic. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Terrorist Threat Assessment Table of the Ministry of the Interior has decided this Monday to order a "police reinforcement of special intensity" during the Christmas holidays, within the level 4 out of 5 in force since 2015, and which is added to the measures complementary measures adopted on October 17 in relation to the Middle East conflict between Israel and Hamas.

The operational reinforcement will be maintained throughout the national territory between 00:00 hours on December 18 and 24:00 hours on January 10, 2024, "a period characterized by numerous events and events of a massive nature, as well as due to an increase in travel," as reported by the Interior.

The decision was adopted this Monday at the extraordinary meeting of the Terrorist Threat Assessment Table chaired by the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, in a session that is held regularly each year in advance of the arrival of the Christmas holidays.

The security measures are marked this year by the order of October 17 with "complementary measures" within level 4 out of a maximum of 5 dictated by the Interior in the context of the war between Israel and Hamas, which affected embassies and places of worship.

The Commissioner for the Interior, Ylva Johansson, warned on December 5 in Brussels of the "enormous risk" of terrorist attacks in the European Union ahead of the upcoming holidays. In a joint press conference, Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska asked "not to convey insecurity", defending that the threat is "countered" by security measures and cooperation between security forces.

The instruction issued this Monday by the Secretary of State for Security, Rafael Pérez, orders "a strengthening of security devices and intelligence, control and anti-terrorist monitoring capabilities by the State Security Corps, as well as by the rest of the police forces and other institutions, organizations and operators, public or private in matters of security, within the framework of their respective functional and territorial powers and responsibilities."

The police reinforcement of special intensity during this Christmas season will ensure the surveillance and protection of places, spaces and means of transport, as well as religious, leisure or recreational events in general, in which high concentrations of people occur on these dates, as well as the strategic objectives and infrastructures essential for the normal functioning of citizen activity.

The measures agreed this Monday are added to the complementary instructions issued by the Secretary of State for Security on October 17, 2023, which reinforced the protection of embassies and diplomatic legations in relation to the Middle East conflict, as they are potential terrorist targets. , as well as its national interests in Spain, its places of worship and religious celebrations.

The Government Delegations in the autonomous communities that have their own police forces or attached units of the National Police will urgently forward this instruction to the autonomous authorities and will convene, if necessary, the information and coordination meetings necessary to execute the measures. start-ups.

Furthermore, the Secretary of State for Security has sent this instruction to the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP) so that it can be distributed among those responsible for the local police forces and thus incorporate their operational capabilities into the Christmas reinforcement plan.

The Central Private Security Unit of the National Police will also communicate these instructions to private security companies so that they reinforce the services, procedures and collaboration measures corresponding to the current level of anti-terrorist activation.