Junts and ERC have registered their proposed conclusions for the Congress commission that analyzed the jihadist attacks of August 2017 in Catalonia, in which they urge that "negligences" by the State in the prevention of the attacks be recognized. PSOE, PP, and Vox oppose this approach, as reflected in the texts presented by the different groups.
These documents, to which Europa Press has had access, must first be voted on within the commission and, if that step is overcome, subsequently be submitted to the Plenary of Congress. Although it was initially foreseen that the report would be submitted for a vote in commission next week, the meeting has not yet been formally convened.
Junts maintains that "a part of the responsibility" for the attacks derives from "negligence or recklessness by the secret services" for having hidden the links of the National Intelligence Center (CNI) with Abdelbaki Es-Satty, the imam of Ripoll (Girona) identified as the mastermind of the attacks.
Junts' accusations about the CNI and the imam of Ripoll
According to the pro-independence party, these ties were hidden "by political decision," in a context marked by the proximity of the October 1st referendum, prioritizing the "political and partisan interests" of the PP government "over innocent victims who had the right to know the whole truth of what had just happened."
Junts assumes the version of former commissioner José Manuel Villarejo, who stated that the CNI "lost control" of its relationship with the imam of Ripoll. In its document, it points to the leadership of the Ministry of the Interior, then headed by José Ignacio Zoido, and the then vice-president Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría, as well as the current coalition government, considering that not all available documentation has been declassified.
The pro-independence group even casts doubt on whether the imam of Ripoll died in the explosion at the house in Alcanar (Tarragona) and states that the judicial case did not clear up all the "essential questions" about the "origin, preparation, and possible responsibilities of the events." Therefore, it calls on the Prosecutor's Office to promote new judicial proceedings.
Sumar, in its own text, also proposes that the State Attorney General's Office consider opening pre-procedural investigation proceedings "as an exceptional mechanism for satisfying the right to truth." Furthermore, it defends the need to "promote the development of a public, official, institutional, and rigorous account" of the attacks "as a condition for collective emotional closure, the dignification of victims, and the prevention of conspiratorial narratives."
ERC speaks of "serious institutional failure" and demands accountability
ERC, for its part, maintains that the State "failed in prevention" and alludes to "possible negligence in the management of information" that the CNI and Mossos had about Es Satty, although not going as far as Junts. "Without stating that state services had prior knowledge of the specific preparation of the attacks, the commission considers that there are indications to appreciate a presumably negligent action," its proposal states.
For Esquerra, "the lack of transmission of information to the Mossos d'Esquadra before the events constitutes a central element of possible institutional negligence and evidences a failure in the standards of coordination, institutional loyalty, and prevention that must govern the actions of public authorities in the face of terrorist threats." This "serious institutional failure," it adds, requires the clarification of political responsibilities and the promotion of fundamental changes to prevent a similar situation from recurring.
Junts, ERC, and Sumar agree in demanding the full declassification of documentation related to the attacks, a measure that neither the PSOE nor the PP include in their conclusions.
Counter-terrorism coordination and PSOE's position
In general terms, all groups that have presented final texts insist on the need to strengthen coordination between Security Forces and Corps and intelligence services in counter-terrorism matters, as well as data exchange. The PSOE emphasizes, however, that progress has already been made in this area in recent years that must be consolidated.
The socialists highlight the "responsibility" and "effectiveness" with which the Mossos acted and advocate for the relationship between the different police forces and the CNI to "continue to be based on the principle of mutual loyalty". They also propose to "formalize international channels for alerts about people or environments at risk" and to strengthen coordination between Penitentiary Institutions and Security Forces to detect radicalization processes in prison.
Sumar emphasizes that the current level of coordination between security forces is much higher than in 2017, "which shows that improvements were possible and necessary", and calls for continued progress in these reforms.
Attention to victims and legal definition
In the section dedicated to victims, the PSOE acknowledges that the coexistence of different sources of information (judicial, health, and police) has caused "practical difficulties" in fully identifying all affected individuals. Therefore, it proposes to "improve coordination and registration systems" and to review the Law on Victims of Terrorism to incorporate a "broader, more inclusive, and material definition of a victim of terrorism, expanding their recognition, assistance, and protection".
PP and Vox reject discussing state negligence
The PP admits that the radicalization of the terrorists and the preparation of the thwarted attack in Alcanar, "as happens in many cases involving small and isolated cells, went unnoticed by all State Security Forces and Corps with competencies in organized crime and terrorism", including the CNI and the CITCO. However, it emphasizes that "in no case can it be claimed that it was an act of negligence".
The Popular Party wants to make it clear that the imam of Ripoll "was not a confidant or collaborator" of the CNI, the Police, or the Guardia Civil and that the CNI "had not the slightest responsibility" in the attacks, just as "the Mossos d'Esquadra, the Cuerpo Nacional de Policía, or the Guardia Civil did".
The party also denounces "the partisan use of information" by the then Catalan president Carles Puigdemont, who denied that the Mossos had received the alert issued in May 2017 by the CIA about a possible attack on Las Ramblas, despite it later being proven that this warning had indeed been passed on.
In addition, the PP recalls that, despite the level 4 anti-terrorist alert being activated and the Police having proposed the installation of obstacles in crowded areas for Christmas 2017, that measure was not adopted in Barcelona.
Vox, in a similar vein to the PP, highlights that the commission was launched at the initiative of Junts and ERC and concludes that its work has not provided new elements nor has it allowed to prove "any of the serious suspicions that justified its impulse".
"On the contrary, its work has served to confirm the solidity of the police and judicial investigations carried out at the time and to demonstrate the lack of foundation of many of the accusations that have been made for years from certain political circles," states the document registered by Vox.