A jihadist website is encouraging would-be terrorists to carry out attacks at protests in Spain, it has emerged.
Cybersecurity forces told Cadena Ser on Friday that they had detected a call to attack police and demonstrators on the site, which is sympathetic to ISIS.
The material names Spain alongside France, Italy and Portugal, and urges supporters to exploit unrest and demonstrations to carry out attacks.
However, counterterrorism sources stressed the warning concerns a general propaganda appeal rather than a specific threat.
They also clarified that the message did not originate from Islamic State’s official channels.
Spain’s Cybersecurity Coordination Office (OCC) detected the content while monitoring extremist material online and sent an information alert to the Interior Ministry’s Secretariat of State for Security.
The document, titled ‘Call to attack police and demonstrators’, was first reported by ABC and later examined by Cadena SER.
According to the broadcaster, the propaganda encourages violence against both officers and protesters, presenting confrontations during demonstrations as an opportunity to strike while police are distracted.
It refers particularly to unrest in France and advocates several forms of attack.
Counterterrorism sources told Cadena SER that they take the material seriously, despite the absence of a specific plot identified in the warning.
They highlighted the growing role of forums sympathetic to Islamic State in radicalising individuals who consume extremist propaganda.
