A man accused of sharing Hamas propaganda has been arrested in Spain as part of a wider crackdown on terrorist networks in the country.
Guardia Civil officers from the elite Special Central Unit (UCE-2) arrested the suspect, of Palestinian origin, for terrorism offences linked to radicalisation.
According to investigators, he distributed graphic propaganda online on behalf of Hamas’s armed wing – the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades – via social media.
The arrest forms part of a wider counter-terror operation tracking Islamist propaganda networks nationwide.
In the first three months of this year, 43 individuals were detained in Spain for jihadist-related activity, almost half the number of arrests in 2024.
If the pace continues, authorities expect the final tally to surpass 2023’s 78 arrests, and potentially even the post-2004 peak years that followed the devastating Madrid train bombings.
According to information obtained by El Español, the Ministry of the Interior is monitoring 178 individuals linked to ISIS and Al-Qaeda who have been flagged as potentially active operatives.
Authorities say particular attention is being paid to foreign fighters who left Spain and may now be attempting to re-enter the country.
Social media, too, is under increasing scrutiny. In recent years, at least three arrested jihadists had established a presence on TikTok, raising red flags within Interior Ministry circles.
Both ISIS and Al-Qaeda, officials warn, are actively using the platform to radicalise Spanish youth – a trend fuelling concern among anti-terror investigators.
The monitoring effort, overseen by Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska, has entered what one official described as its ‘most aggressive phase since 2005.’
The last update on travel advice to Spain by the UK’s Foreign Office said terrorists are ‘likely to try and carry out attacks.’
It reads: ‘Terrorists are likely to try and carry out attacks in Spain.
‘Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places visited by foreign nationals. Stay aware of your surroundings, keep up to date with local media reports and follow the advice of local authorities.
‘In January 2023, one person was killed and others injured in a machete attack at two churches in Cadiz.’
Read more Spain news at the Spanish Eye.
