From Friday until April 2, the Ministry of the Interior intensifies security measures in the face of the possibility, among other dangers, of jihadist attacks, according to the statement sent to the units, to which LA RAZÓN has had access. “The imminent Easter holiday – a period of special significance for citizens, and which also entails an important and numerous participation and presence of those related to said holiday, as well as travel throughout the national territory – together with the persistence high levels of risk of terrorist actions, as has been revealed in the session of the Threat Assessment Table held today, March 20, make it necessary not only to maintain the prevention, protection and response measures provided for in the current Level 4 Activation of the Anti-Terrorism Prevention, Protection and Response Plan, but even proceed to a particularly intense reinforcement of them,” the statement says.
“The intensification of said reinforcement throughout Spain will be aimed at strengthening security devices and intelligence, control and anti-terrorist monitoring capabilities by the State Security Forces, as well as by the rest of the police forces.” and other institutions, organizations and operators, public or private, in matters of security, within the framework of their respective powers and functional and territorial responsibilities. The reinforcement measures must be aimed at meeting the objectives set in the Anti-Terrorism Prevention, Protection and Response Plan for its current Level 4 Activation, reinforcing operational and intelligence measures in line with the risks derived from the particular and special circumstances. that involve the celebration and population movements and concentration of citizens to enjoy Holy Week”, he adds.
“The measures of special intensity during this specific period will be aimed at the surveillance and protection of places, spaces and means of transport, religious, leisure or recreational events in general, with a high concentration of people, as well as the surveillance and protection of the strategic objectives that are essential for the normal functioning of citizen activity,” he emphasizes.
The special anti-terrorist operational intensification measures will be applied throughout the national territory, and include the following objectives:
1. Strengthening operational devices and preventive and surveillance measures and anti-terrorist response, as well as random checks of vehicles and people, in all those places where a high presence or traffic of people may take place, such as:
–to. The areas, squares, promenades and large commercial streets, given the important influx of citizens that can occur on these dates.
–b. Religious, leisure, sporting or any other events with a large influx of people.
–c. Emblematic buildings, centers or facilities with a large presence of visitors, or that can be identified as being of special interest by terrorist elements for their actions.
–d. And, in general, all those places or buildings in which the existence of special concentrations of citizens is expected and which, therefore, can be considered as potential targets of their actions by the aforementioned terrorist elements.
2. Intensification of the measures provided for in the Anti-Terrorist Prevention, Protection and Response Plan on large centers, infrastructures and transport interchanges, which must necessarily include facilities and means of air, land and maritime transportor, especially those that have to support a greater influx of citizens and traffic.
3. At the same time, and in accordance with the instructions given at the time arising from the Hamas attack against Israel and the response of this State in Gaza, the measures already agreed upon will be maintained:
–to. Strengthen current police measures for prevention, protection and anti-terrorist response in relation to the Embassy of Israel and other diplomatic legations of said country in Spain, as well as its interests and places of worship, educational, economic or any other type.
–b. Strengthen current anti-terrorist measures in relation to the Embassies and other diplomatic legations of Turkey, Palestine, Lebanon and Jordan, as well as the strategic, cultural and economic interests of these countries.
–c. Strengthen preventive anti-terrorist measures on all Embassies and diplomatic representations of the EU and its Member States, and in particular the Embassies and interests of France, Sweden and Denmark.
–d. Strengthen anti-terrorist prevention, protection and response measures in relation to the Embassy of the United States and the United Kingdom and other diplomatic legations of said countries in Spain, as well as their educational, economic or any other type of interests.
4. On the part of the National Center for the Protection of Critical Infrastructures, the owners and operators of critical infrastructures will be informed of the agreed measures and the necessary reinforcement of those corresponding to said operators. The Cybersecurity Coordination Office, in coordination with the reference CERTs, will establish, for its part, a special cybersecurity device during the period of validity of the special reinforcement of anti-terrorist measures established here.
5. The members of the Security Forces will take extreme security and self-protection measures and recommendations against possible terrorist attacks. These measures and recommendations are aimed at both the members of the National Police and the Civil Guard, as well as the members of the Security Forces. Autonomous Police and Local Police Corps and private security personnel.
Likewise, the participation of regional and local bodies, and private security, in this device is regulated.