The Spanish Ministry of the Interior has discovered posts on a website linked to Islamic State (IS/Daesh) calling for attacks on both the police and demonstrators in several European countries.
The newspaper El País has seen an internal alert from the Oficina de Coordinación de Ciberseguridad, which monitors extremist content online.
– The large crowds represent a “rare and valuable opportunity” to carry out attacks
The messages are written in English and specifically refer to the protests in Spain, France, Italy and Portugal. They describe the large crowds in France as a “rare and valuable opportunity” to carry out attacks. The police are described as “easy prey” during clashes with demonstrators.
According to the alert, the messages also contain general calls to exploit the chaos in the streets for the sake of martyrdom. Portugal’s internal security service has confirmed that it is monitoring the situation and is in contact with the relevant authorities.
It is emphasised that this does not involve specific preparations for attacks, but rather general calls to action which are being monitored as part of the ongoing work to combat terrorist attacks.
Spain has maintained its terror alert level at 4 out of 5 since October 2023. In 2026, the police and the Guardia Civil have carried out a series of operations against Islamic extremism, and several dozen people have been arrested.
