MADRID, Sept 18: A Pakistani Taliban group linked to Al Qaeda claims it was behind suicide attacks that were planned for Barcelona but thwarted by police, a terrorism expert wrote in a Spanish daily on Thursday.

Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), “claimed responsibility for the terrorist massacre planned in public transports in Barcelona at the beginning of the year”, wrote Fernando Reinares, from the Madrid-based Royal Elcano Institute, in El Pais.

According to Reinares, the movement claimed in a video interview aired at the end of August that 12 of its men had been planning the attack.

In the video, a spokesman for the Taliban movement named Omar said the attack was planned due to Spain’s military presence in Afghanistan.

Created in late 2007, the TTP has between 30,000-35,000 members and is allied with Al Qaeda and directly linked to the Taliban in Afghanistan, said Reinares.

On January 19, a group of radicals, suspected of planning attacks in Barcelona, was dismantled by Spanish intelligence services.

Spain’s anti-terrorist court on June 5 charged 11 South Asians, most of them Pakistanis, with belonging to a terrorist group.

During the Barcelona raids, police recovered bomb-making equipment, but said it was not enough for an attack.—AFP

Opinion

Editorial

Islamabad march
Updated 27 Nov, 2024

Islamabad march

WITH emotions running high, chaos closes in. As these words were being written, rumours and speculation were all...
Policing the internet
27 Nov, 2024

Policing the internet

IT is chilling to witness how Pakistan — a nation that embraced the freedoms of modern democracy, and the tech ...
Correcting sports priorities
27 Nov, 2024

Correcting sports priorities

IT has been a lingering battle that has cast a shadow over sports in Pakistan: who are the national sports...
Kurram ceasefire
Updated 26 Nov, 2024

Kurram ceasefire

DESPITE efforts by the KP government to bring about a ceasefire in Kurram tribal district, the bloodletting has...
Hollow victory
26 Nov, 2024

Hollow victory

THE conclusion of COP29 in Baku has left developing nations — struggling with the mounting costs of climate...
Infrastructure schemes
26 Nov, 2024

Infrastructure schemes

THE government’s decision to finance priority PSDP schemes on a three-year rolling basis is a significant step...