National Police arrest three individuals in Madrid, one of whom is a member of terrorist group DAESH at an advanced stage of radicalisation

The detainee had an extremely dangerous profile of a similar nature to those terrorists involved in the recent attacks in the United Kingdom and France and was considered to pose a clear threat to the security of our country.

The detainee had carried out intense work in studying and searching for official training material of DAESH. Specifically, he had accumulated a large number of manuals dealing precisely with terrorism within the Jihadi framework, including a manual on suicide bombings and another on electronic Jihad. The contents of these documents range from the most radical preparation to martyrdom. Apart from these manuals the National Police are also analysing other documents.

During the course of this investigation it was possible to individually identify several bookmarks on social networks linking the detainee with members of DAESH located in the Syria-Iraq combat zone.

Furthermore, he also attempted to recruit people from within his immediate environment who he sought to convince to carry out Jihad violence in our country. The DAESH material that was seized from him was used both to prepare his chosen candidates in radical religious aspects and theoretical and practical training in operational techniques. During the investigation and surveillance carried out it was possible to observe behaviour and attitudes of the detainee which called for extreme precaution on behalf of the police officers involved.

Together with the principle detainee, two other Moroccan nationals aged 38 and 33 were also arrested, living at the same address, who were possibly beginning with these terrorist practices.

This new operation falls within the action lines designed by the General Commissariat of Intelligence in terms of the fight against Jihadi terrorism, focused on rapid detection and neutralisation of individuals whose level of radicalisation is dangerously advanced, prior to them being able to carry out terrorist acts.

The operation, which is ongoing, was carried out by Central Investigation Court Number 2, in coordination with the Public Prosecutor's Office of the National High Court

Since 26 June 2015, the year in which the Ministry of Home Affairs raised the Counter-Terrorism Alert Level to level 4 (Spanish acronym: NAA-4), the law enforcement agencies have arrested a total of 172 Jihadist terrorists in operations carried out in Spain and abroad and a total of 217 since the start of 2015.

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 vicinity through the web page www.stop-radicalismos.es, the mobile phone app for citizens security alerts 'Alertcops' and the free hotline 900 822 066.