MADRID (Sputnik) — Earlier on Wednesday, Spanish police arrested 11 people, including a woman and a minor, for alleged connections with the Islamic State terrorist group.
The detained belong to an “operative [Islamist] cell which intended to carry out an attack in Catalonia,” Espadaler said in a news conference.
However, there is a minimal risk of a terror attack in the region, the minister added, because the places that “pose a problem” are thoroughly monitored.
The detained are citizens of Morocco, Spain and Paraguay.
In March, Spain arrested eight people, five of whom had Moroccan origins, who were the members of jihadist groups and allegedly tried to recruit young Spanish nationals for the Islamic State.
Spain is a member of the US-led coalition currently fighting against ISIL militants.