The Comissaria General d’Informació of the Mossos d’Esquadra is monitoring in Catalonia currently 265 people because of the risk of violent, jihadist-inspired radicalisation. This emerges from a written response by the Generalitat to the Parliament as reported on Wednesday El Periódico had reported earlier. In the same document, the Catalan police put the number of operations against jihadist terrorism over the past five years at 30.
The interior minister responsible Núria Parlon signed the response. It says the aim of monitoring is to detect radicalisation processes at an early stage. The key factors are specific behavioural indicators and the adoption of violent, extremist attitudes—not the religious affiliation of those concerned. At the same time, the Comissaria General d’Informació refers to prevention programmes against violent extremism that have been in place for more than a decade. These also involve other areas of government, including education and health.
The latest response is linked to a parliamentary question from the party VOX after a knife attack on 2 May in Esplugues de Llobregat (Barcelona province). In its response, the interior department describes the Mossos d’Esquadra’s approach as multi-layered: alongside monitoring potential suspects, it includes tips and reports from people around them, assessment by specialist units and, where necessary, referral to the courts. The stated aim is explicitly to prevent acts of violence while respecting the constitutional framework.
Police stress that factors such as online propaganda and social networks are playing an increasingly important role in the emergence and acceleration of radicalisation. In practice, the Mossos d’Esquadra work with local councils, schools, social services and healthcare providers to identify warning signs early and, where possible, intervene to de-escalate situations. The interior department notes that prevention and law enforcement are organised separately and are subject to different legal thresholds.
The information from Catalonia does not affect other nationwide responsibilities. The figures and assessments now published come from official correspondence between the Generalitat and the Parliament in Barcelona. The document gives no details of ongoing investigations or personal information.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).