An Islamic State splinter cell planned a shooting attack targeting Real Madrid fans and players, as revealed by the Spanish newspaper ‘El Confidencial’ on Monday. The group circulated posters online, one depicting a hooded man aiming a rifle at the Real Madrid team bus, and another urging an attack at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium with instructions to use improvised explosives and decoy devices to bypass security.
In response, Spanish authorities have arrested nine individuals in four cities as part of a broader crackdown on extremist threats against events like the Euro 2024 tournament and the Paris Olympics. The operation involved Spain’s Civil Guard, Europol, and the FBI.
Europol stated that servers supporting multiple media outlets linked to the Islamic State were dismantled in Germany, the Netherlands, Iceland, and the US. These servers disseminated propaganda and incited terrorism in at least thirty languages.
Last week, in collaboration with Interpol and the FBI, the Spanish Civil Guard Information Service dismantled the I’lam Foundation, one of the largest propaganda centers associated with the Islamic State, according to ‘El Confidencial.’ The cell had directed its followers to target the Real Madrid bus and its supporters. One poster showed a hooded man aiming a rifle with the words, “Brother. Wait in a place near the players’ arrival point. Aim at them along with their supporters.”
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