Spain on terror alert three

THE Spanish government has put the country on terror threat alert three following yesterday’s (Wednesday, January 7) attack in France.

An emergency meeting was held to discuss the implications of the Paris attack on satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo which left 12 dead.

Interior Minister Jorge Fernández Díaz, who met police and counter terrorist experts, said that there was no imminent threat of a terror attack on Spain, but the decision was made to raise the alert to three (out of a maximum four).

The government has launched a plan to protect infrastructure, including nuclear power plants, airports and train stations that are potential targets for terrorists.

Local authorities and police forces throughout the country will put into action higher security measures, including more police in key locations.

The country has been at level two alert since September over concerns about combat hardened jihadists returning to Spain from Syria. They have been described as extremely dangerous.

The Euro Weekly News yesterday reported that the Moroccan secret services have been operating in Spain to help keep tabs on jihadists within the Muslim community, which is largely from that country.

Seven of the 13 jihadists from Spain so far killed in Syria either in suicide bombings or under the flag of Islamic State (IS) were Moroccan nationals.