The minor of Syrian origin arrested at the weekend for jihadism in Montellano (Seville) suffered express radicalization through social networks, according to the first steps of the investigation, and as a result he came to manufacture and test various explosive devices. In fact, during the search of the home, the police found a bomb with attached shrapnel “ready to use”, everything needed for its manufacture, a terrorist vest and a large machete. Apparently, he intended to carry out an imminent attack on his high school.
The minor was obsessed with the military theme, had shown a clear animosity towards the LGBTI group and deeply anti-Semitic ideas. This is a young refugee, born in 2007 in the land where the Islamic State built the caliphate, who went from being a cyber soldier to planning an attack on the municipality that hosted him in just over two months. But the General Information Office of the National Police avoided tragedy by arresting him on Sunday, when he was rehearsing detonations for the “big day”.
The investigation began on November 15. Little more than a month had passed since the attack by Hamas on Israel and the Ministry of the Interior had ordered to strengthen anti-terrorist measures after the call of terrorist leaders to carry out “global jihad”. That day, the National Police informed the National Court that the minor had obtained several substances to make explosives: glycerine, nitric acid and sulphur. In addition, it was found that he had publicly expressed his adherence to the Islamic State and was engaged, as stated in the investigation documentation, in displaying various jihadist material on his own mobile phone.
The minor went so far as to show several teenagers a video of a French lone wolf, the author of an attack, and told some colleagues that he himself had made a detonator with a mobile phone to activate it remotely.
It is precisely the rapid process of radicalization, of which the young man left traces through the publications on social networks, that makes the state’s forces and security bodies dance, as well as the increase of minors who they are indoctrinated in this way. According to the interlocutory order of the National Court, by which he is ordered to be sent to a juvenile center for six months, the arrested young man went from being a cyber soldier or virtual jihadist to, in little more than two months, manufacturing explosives and planning an attack
Radicalization has accelerated in recent weeks. On November 18, he posted online songs praising jihadist organizations, on December 17 he posted video tutorials on how to make bombs “homemade and easy” and the next day he shared a video of a suicide bomber who ‘immolate in the name of Allah.
The National Police was following his steps very closely and, according to sources close to the investigation, he was scheduled to be arrested yesterday, but events were rushed. On Saturday, the agents discovered among their garbage a cardboard box with the sign “sulphur powder”, a two-piece disposable protective mask, some protective glasses, pieces of a shirt with a strong smell, bottles and insulating tape, among other elements. And on Sunday they followed him to a clearing, where he carried out detonation tests, which precipitated his arrest.
The surprise came during the search of the home. They found cans of explosives on the desk; instead of schoolwork, he had chemical formulas and the bomb “ready for use”, which only needed the explosive to detonate it. Among the notes they found the recipe for the mother of Satan, the composition used by terrorists to carry out the attacks, and tins of cans cut with pellets, like shrapnel.
It was not the only arsenal. They also discovered a large machete and a military vest with the flag of the Islamic State, with which he was photographed, as shown in the images he kept on his phone, the same one that he refused to hand over to the police day of the search and that he did not want to tell the agents the keys to unlock it.
