Spain has carried out 154 operations against jihadist terrorism since 17A

The consumption of jihadist and extremist propaganda is the "common ingredient" to attract people

   BARCELONA, 17 Ago. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Ministry of the Interior has carried out 154 operations against jihadist terrorism in Spain, with more than 250 people arrested, since the attacks on August 17, 2017 in Barcelona and Cambrils (Tarragona).

Ministry sources have explained to Europa Press that, in addition to the 154 operations in Spanish territory, they have carried out more than 20 operations in other countries, with more than 60 arrests.

During the years preceding 2017 there was a "notable evolution of the terrorist threat", a fact that requires continuous analysis and adaptation of the procedures in the fight against terrorism, with international collaboration, police and judicial action and intelligence tasks.

After the attacks, with the "lessons learned" plans, initiatives and bodies have been created to adapt to the evolution and fight against the terrorist threat, such as the approval of the National Strategy against Terrorism in January 2019 or the National Strategic Plan for Prevention and Fight against Violent Radicalization, and the creation of the Specialized Committee against Terrorism, among others.

The same sources have explained that "there is no specific profile" of radicalized people, and that current terrorism has evolved towards more decentralized and fragmented positions, with smaller groups and less hierarchical structures that operate in multiple countries, in their words.

The way to attract other people to join their groups "has as a common ingredient the consumption of jihadist and extremist propaganda" through social networks, encrypted messaging and artificial intelligence techniques, and adapts to new technologies and methodologies with the aim of accessing a broader, younger and more vulnerable public.

From the Ministry of the Interior they use different ways to detect radicalized groups or people: through active investigations, through social networks or through citizen collaboration, a factor that they consider very important.

On October 6, 2020, the National Security Council (CSN) approved the National Strategic Plan for the Prevention and Fight against Violent Radicalization (PENCRAV) and designated the Ministry of the Interior --through the Specialized Committee against Terrorism-- as responsible for its development and implementation throughout the national territory.

This plan establishes an effective framework for prevention, knowledge of the processes of violent radicalization and treatment of violent extremism "to achieve a more sensitized, aware, safe and resilient society".

For prevention, training and the commitment of society favor early detection, and strategic communication against violent radical propaganda helps to "reduce the impact".