Daily Alert Archives

Was the Barcelona Attack Preventable?

(Gatestone Institute) Soeren Kern - On Dec. 20, 2016, one day after a Tunisian jihadist drove a truck into a Christmas market in Berlin, killing 12 people and injuring 56, Spanish National Police ordered police departments to "implement physical security measures to protect public spaces" to prevent jihadist attacks "in places with high numbers of people." The circular advised "installing large planters or bollards [vertical poles] at access points to hinder or prevent the entry of vehicles." The measures were never implemented in Barcelona because the leaders of the Catalan independence movement did not want to be seen as taking orders from the central government in Madrid. After receiving the directive, Catalan police accused the central government of "alarmism" and insisted that it would not order municipalities in Catalonia to implement this "indiscriminate measure." In June, "the Central Intelligence Agency warned Catalan police of a threat to Las Ramblas," Spain's El Periodico reported.
2017-08-23 00:00:00
Full Article