BARCELONA – Spanish police arrested 10 Pakistani nationals in a major operation against an alleged extremist network accused of promoting violence.
According to Spanish authorities, the arrests were part of a joint effort by the Mossos d’Esquadra (Catalan police), the Spanish National Police, and Italian law enforcement. Another suspect was also detained in Piacenza, Italy.
The latest arrests happened on March 3 in several areas, including Montcada i Reixac, Sant Adrià de Besòs, Sabadell, and Santa Coloma de Gramenet. These follow previous arrests of five people in 2022 and 14 in 2023, bringing the total to 30.
Authorities stated the group’s main operations were based in Spain, with no evidence of outside connections. The group’s leader is believed to be a 55-year-old Pakistani man.
Investigations also revealed an online group, run by one of the arrested women, that spread radical content and identified possible attack targets.
On March 6, the 10 suspects appeared in Spain’s Central Investigation Court No. 6, facing charges of financing terrorism, recruiting extremists, and encouraging radicalization.
The court ordered four suspects to remain in custody, while the rest are still under investigation.
Spanish authorities confirmed no links to international terrorist groups have been found yet, but investigations are ongoing.
Reports suggest that 6 of the 10 individuals are linked to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and are believed to be social media activists.
