(Jan. 22, 2019 / Gatestone Institute)
- Police noted that the jihadis were known to have committed at least 369 robberies and thefts in and around Barcelona. In addition to theft, the cell members sustained themselves through drug trafficking and document fraud.
- “There is little doubt that the autonomous region of Catalonia has become a prime base of operations for terrorist activity. Spanish authorities tell us they fear the threat from these atomized immigrant communities prone to radicalism, but they have very little intelligence on or ability to penetrate these groups.” — American diplomatic cable, Oct. 2, 2007.
- “The Salafist religious centers detected in Catalonia are opposed to any reading of the Koran that is not the most rigorous... and at the same time are demanding a ‘purification’ of Muslim believers from foreign influences. ... This religious interference results in the ... prohibition, especially for female teenagers, of attending schools with male students. This supposes a deep break with the values of individual freedom that are guaranteed by the laws of Europe.” — Intelligence report leaked to the Catalan newspaper La Vanguardia.
- Read full article at Gatestone.
