On 3 June 2020, Europol supported the Spanish National Police (Policía Nacional) in arresting a man in Madrid on suspicion of radicalisation and for dissemination of jihadist terrorist propaganda via the internet. The individual’s constant activity on social media where he glorified the so-called Islamic State (IS) attacks brought him to the attention of investigators. Whilst under surveillance, he showed a high level of radicalisation in his closed circle, and demonstrated a full adherence to the postulates of terrorist groups, fully justifying their violent actions.
The suspect, of Moroccan origin and resident in Spain, used his computer know-how to anonymously access radical jihadist content and communicate directly with foreign fighters in Syria. During the action day, an expert from Europol’s European Counter Terrorism Centre were deployed to Madrid to provide on-the-spot support. This enabled real-time information exchange, and cross-checks of the data gathered against Europol’s databases.
