Guardia Civil locate abandoned stash in the Sierra Norte of Madrid containing material belonging to terrorist group PCE(r)-GRAPO

The area where the stash was located had previously been inspected by the Guardia Civil since various lines of information pointed to the same location as a meeting place and campsite for members of PCE(r)-GRAPO, at which material for sleeping outside had been found some months previously.

Although a more exhaustive examination has not yet been carried out, initial investigations would seem to point to the stash dating back to the year 2000, the time at which the terrorist group was undergoing a major managerial and organisational re-organisation. The location of this stash of material used by members of the terrorist group represents - in addition to a blow to its infrastructure which, until now, had remained unknown - the possibility of clearing up certain attacks by unknown perpetrators. The forensic examination of the elements found will determine whether in the future it will be possible to resolve attacks committed by the members of PCE(r)-GRAPO.

Despite the fact that the terrorist group has had no operational capabilities since 2007, PCE(r)-GRAPO has not renounced its armed fight and has focused its efforts on recruiting new members. For this reason, the Guardia Civil is keeping various lines of investigation open with the aim of locating the part of its infrastructure that still remains intact, thus averting its possible use in the case of a hypothetical return to terrorist activity.

In relation to PCE(r)-GRAPO, the main priority of the Guardia Civil remains locating the remains of the business owner from Zaragoza, Publio Cordón, kidnapped on 27 June 1995. Older members of the group are currently under investigation in these proceedings.

Despite the fact that the Guardia Civil arrested all the members of this terrorist group in hiding in 2007, the group has not renounced its armed struggle, and hence investigations continue aimed at fully disbanding the group, and at resolving all those terrorist actions that have no known material author to date or that are yet to be resolved.