Potential separatist terror group arrested

GUARDIA CIVIL officers arrested nine members of a radical Catalan separatist group suspected of preparing terrorist attacks that would have been carried out next month.

Investigators say the group is an isolated faction of the CDR (Comité de Defensa de la República - literally meaning republican defence committee), which are groups of radical Catalan separatists that carry out protests and rallies in favour of independence for Cataluña.

However, this group had decided to take matters one step further according to the Guardia Civil, who seized materials that combined, would have enabled them to manufacture explosive devices.

Officers carried out ten house searches on Monday and confiscated a 'significant amount' of the potentially explosive materials in Sabadell, Mollet de Vallés, San Fost de Campsentelles, Cerdanyola del Vallés, San Vicenç de Torrelló and Santa Perpetua de la Mogoda - all near Barcelona.

Seven of the detainees were taken to the High Court in Madrid that deals exclusively with terrorism. On Wednesday, at least two of the detainees admitted to have been manipulating explosives but only to 'sabotage' buildings, not to attack people.

Guardia Civil reports say the detainees had blueprints of several building, one believed to be a Guardia Civil station, as well as having details of how to manipulate explosives. Witnesses claim the detainees had been seen in a nearby wasteland testing the explosives.

Investigators believe they were going to attack between next Wednesday, October 1 (the second anniversary of the illegal Catalan independence referendum) until the day the Supreme Court releases its verdict (expected mid-October) on the imprisoned Catalan separatists accused of organising the illegal vote.

Catalan regional president Quim Torra accused central government and police of manipulating the situation to link separatism with violence.

Meanwhile, the acting minister for the interior Fernando Grande-Marlaska is reported to have reprimanded Guardia Civil chiefs for not properly informing the government of the serious nature of the police operation.

Riot squads deployed

The Ministry for the Interior has deployed 750 riot squad police officers in Cataluña ahead of expected protests and possible confrontations from next Wednesday onwards until the end of October.

The National Police deployment will be in coordination with the Mossos de Esquadra regional police force.