Spain arrests suspected extremist

The Spanish Interior Ministry confirmed on Tuesday that a man has been arrested in the city of Segovia to the north of Madrid on suspicion of preparing extremist propaganda and "planning a terrorist attack."

The man arrested has been identified as Daniel Fernandez Acena, a former member of the Anti-Terrorist Liberation Group, commonly known as GAL, which was illegally established by the Spanish government in the 1980's and active between 1984 and 1987.

When he was 26 years old, Fernandez Acena was condemned to 29 years in prison for the 1984 murder of a French railway worker.

The GAL was set up to fight Basque separatist militant group ETA and they are thought to be responsible for at least 27 murders during this period with many of its victims having no connection whatsoever to ETA.

The Interior Ministry said Fernandez-Acena had become "self-indoctrinated" into "jihadism" and that he "carried out labors of spreading propaganda supporting DAESH and was determined to carry out a terrorist attack."

The ministry added that the 173rd person to be detained since Spain was put on a level four anti-terror alert in June 2015 was "willing to carry out an indiscriminate suicide attack against means of transport."

"It was not ruled out that he had access to firearms and that is what caused the intervention of the Civil Guard to carry out his arrest," the ministry said.

Authorities are searching Fernandez-Acena's residence in Segovia and another in the nearby village of La Granja in order to find documents which could give them a better idea of his plans and possible contacts. Endit