Menacing ISIS Cell Busted After Threatening Euro Players
- ByJavier Hernandez --
- 2024-06-18 05:50:24 --
- 0 Comments --
- ES
Extremist Group Urged Followers to Attack Real Madrid Players and Fans
A sinister ISIS cell that called for attacks on Euro players has been snared after a major operation in Spain. Spanish cops uncovered a twisted propaganda network urging their followers to target Real Madrid football players.
The radical group shared sickening posters encouraging extremists to attack the footballers' team bus and fans. One chilling poster featured a masked man opening fire with a rifle, while another showed Real Madrid's Bernabeu Stadium with a message saying "A very valuable target awaits you." The group also circulated a poster with the words "Kill them all" before the Champions League quarter-finals in April.
Spanish authorities arrested nine people after a joint operation involving Spain's Civil Guard, Europol, and the FBI. Two of the detainees have been sent to prison pending an ongoing investigation. The arrests occurred in various locations across Spain, including Girona, Cadiz, Almeria, and Tenerife.
The extremist unit is said to have been linked to the I'lam Foundation, which describes itself as an Islamic State multi-language media center providing content in several languages. This arrest comes a week after German police detained a suspected ISIS terrorist trying to sneak into a security guard job at one of the selected Euro stadiums.
The threat of terrorism in Europe by radical jihadists is at an all-time high with ISIS also threatening to strike the upcoming Paris Olympics and the Champions League in recent months.
German authorities have beefed up security by deploying thousands of armed police officers to protect against potential threats. Security expert Will Geddes warned that Germany's special forces, intelligence services, and armed police will be called upon to help prepare for and defend against any possible attacks.
The arrests come as European law enforcement agencies warn that the threat of terrorism to the continent is "acute." Europol has identified "jihadist terrorism" and foreign terrorist fighters traveling from conflict zones as the top concerns for EU countries.
In the past 12 months, at least 10 jihadist attacks have been foiled by police in Europe, according to the Dutch intelligence agency AIVD. The agency claimed the intercepted plots included stabbing rampages at major events and assaults on specific groups and venues.
Israel's spy agency has also alleged that Iranian terror cells are plotting attacks across Europe ahead of the Paris Olympics. The Olympics chief has promised a "ring of steel" at the Games' opening ceremony and insisted that "security is the priority" to ensure the safety of an expected 15 million fans and more than 10,000 athletes.
The arrests in Spain highlight the ongoing threat of terrorism in Europe and the need for heightened security measures to safeguard large-scale events like the European Championships. As the continent remains on high alert, law enforcement agencies will continue to work tirelessly to disrupt and dismantle any extremist networks planning to target innocent civilians.