Terrorism—specifically, international jihadist terrorism—continues to be one of “the great challenges” of State security. And this threat will not deflate in the near future, but quite the opposite: in the coming years it will “continue to rise.” This was warned by the Minister of the Interior, Fernando-Grande Marlaska, during his appearance in the Congress of Deputies to give an account of what will be the general lines that will mark the work of his department this term. To continue facing this challenge, the head of the Interior has promised to improve coordination between police forces and international cooperation. And among all the preventive work, the focus will be on prisons, a focus of increasing radicalization.
According to Interior data, 2023 closed as the year with the most arrests of suspected jihadists in recent decades with 78 arrests in 36 operations. This data had not been recorded since 2005, when the shock wave of the 11-M attacks still kept the Security Forces and Corps on maximum alert. The surge in arrests was concentrated in the last quarter of the year, following the Hamas attack in Israel, which caused the Interior to reinforce anti-terrorist measures, especially in terms of prevention. The last detainee, last Sunday, was a minor of Syrian origin who intended to immolate himself at his institute in Montellano (Seville), according to police sources told La Vanguardia.
The head of the Interior portfolio has commented that the threat level will remain at 4 – out of 5 -, as in most countries in the European environment, despite the fact that the risk will continue to rise. The maximum alert level implies, among other measures, the military presence on the streets. A scenario that has not been activated; not even after the massive attack on Las Ramblas, when the perpetrators fled. “We will continue to promote, develop and deploy our operational and intelligence capabilities to the maximum,” Marlaska promised. According to her estimates, the number of troops in the fight against terrorism has increased by 4.6%.
The minister’s appearance this Tuesday lasted almost five hours. As every time the head of the Interior attends the commissions in his area, the numerous fronts that his department usually has open turn this type of appearance into a tangle of issues to be discussed – amidst reproaches from the groups – but few – or none — conclusion to reach. Marlaska has defended his immigration policy, despite the fact that the numbers of irregular entries are skyrocketing; He has asked to reform the gag law; despite the fact that his red lines last legislature frustrated the attempt to repeal the Popular Party’s Citizen Security law; or he has defended cooperation with the regional police.
The expectation was on the ruling that the Supreme Court announced yesterday, declaring illegal the returns of minors from Ceuta to Morocco in the summer of 2021. The Ministry of the Interior, through the Secretary of State for Security, who negotiated the returns with the neighboring country. Ministerial sources already warned that the head of the Interior had no intention of resigning or assuming any political responsibility for the setback at the high court. And this is how he verbalized it in response to questions from journalists, ensuring that the authorities complied at all times with the legal system and acted under the superior principle of the interest of the minor.