MADRID – In light of the recent flare-up of violence in the Middle East, Spain’s Secretary of State for Security has ordered security be increased at several buildings, offices, and facilities linked to Israel.
These are distributed throughout Spain and are mostly the responsibility of the national police. The security measures are mainly aimed at protecting the 30 synagogues in Spain. These religious centres are often connected to Hebrew centres and in some cases, such as in Madrid, Barcelona, and Melilla, also to schools.
Additional security has also been deployed at the Israeli embassy in Madrid and other Israeli consular and diplomatic offices. Moreover, it’s about preventive security. The authorities have no concrete indications of increased danger.
Other cities
According to state security sources, the increased security also extends to specific locations in cities such as Alicante, Málaga, Marbella, Seville, Palma de Mallorca, Torremolinos, Valencia, Ceuta, and Cádiz. Here are significant parts of the Spanish Jewish community, which numbers approximately 45,000 people.
No increase in the overall threat level
Despite the increased security, there is no increased overall threat level. The Ministry of the Interior maintains the current anti-terrorism threat level at 4 (on a scale of 5). This level has not changed since June 2015, following the almost simultaneous attacks in France, Tunisia, Kuwait, and Somalia. An increase to level 5 would only take place if there were concrete and direct indications of an impending attack.
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