Guardia Civil arrest a person of Palestinian origin who was attempting to travel to Syria to join the ranks of DAESH

The Guardia Civil has been investigating this individual since 2014 in relation to his activities for DAESH. Consequently, investigators were able to observe the radicalisation process the detainee had undergone through extensive exposure to propaganda issued by the terrorist group, which finally resulted in his attempt to travel to join up to the ranks of this group.

Back in July, the detainee embarked on a journey through Turkey where he was arrested by the Turkish authorities close to the border with Syria and sent back to Spain. Following this first attempt, and under close surveillance from specialists from the Information Service of the Guardia Civil, this individual was once again observed leaving Spanish territory in November to travel to Jordan on this occasion, which also borders Syria.

Following the activation of a specific Guardia Civil unit, the individual was detained, in coordination with the Jordanian authorities, who was interrogated with a view to obtaining new evidence related to the true nature of his trip, after which he was handed over to the Guardia Civil to be brought to justice in Spain.

Investigators are currently reconstructing all the movements made by the detainee in preparation for these trips, including a search of his home in Vecindario, where it is hoped to find items which clarify the facts under investigation, and, in particular, reveal the possible existence of other individuals who may have contributed to the radicalisation and/or movements of the detainee.

Since the Counter-Terrorism Alert was raised to Level 4 on 26 June, 2015, the Guardia Civil has stepped up all its operational mechanisms and lines of investigation related to the threat of terrorism, especially those regarding individuals undergoing a radicalisation process that may lead to them travelling to conflict zones or the commission of terrorist acts in their countries of residence, which today poses one of the main threats to western countries.

Since 2015, the year in which the Ministry of Home Affairs raised the Counter-Terrorism Alert to level 4, the State law enforcement agencies have arrested a total of 163 Jihadi terrorists.

The Ministry of Home Affairs sends out a reminder that, through the initiative STOP RADICALISMOS, citizens can collaborate through a series of channels open to them so that, in a confidential and secure manner, they can notify the State law enforcement agencies of possible cases of radicalisation in their surroundings through the web page www.stop-radicalismos.es, the mobile phone app for citizens security alerts Alertcops and the free hotline 900 822 066.