Two arrested in Bilbao and Getxo linked to Hezbollah by National High Court
Spain's National High Court ordered the arrests in Bizkaia of two members of the Iranekin Bat platform, linked to a Telegram channel that disseminates Hezbollah propaganda.
Two arrested in Bizkaia for alleged links with Hezbollah
Spanish police arrested two people on Tuesday in Bilbao and Getxo who are under investigation for their alleged relationship with Lebanese organisation Hezbollah, according to naiz.eus. The operation, ordered by the National High Court and executed with the intervention of the General Directorate of Information, began in the early morning and remains under judicial secrecy.
The two detainees are members of the Iranekin Bat platform, which denounced the arrests in a statement and described them as an attempt to criminalise the organisation. Police sources cited by Efe link them to a Telegram channel that disseminates propagandistic videos in Spanish of Hezbollah and Palestinian armed groups, with imagery from the Iranian regime and of attacks against Israeli soldiers.
The same sources indicated that searches were being carried out at residences and that further arrests could not be ruled out. The operation remains open.
During one of the searches, near Plaza de San Nicolás in Bilbao, several young people gathered shouting slogans in support of Palestinian resistance and against Spanish police and the Ertzaintza, which also attended the scene. In parallel, several dozen people gathered in Txiki Otaegi square in Algorta, in the municipality of Getxo, amongst calls against repressive forces. The Ertzaintza intervened to disperse the gathering, with moments of tension.
Iranekin Bat linked the arrests to "the campaign of persecution, lies and defamations" initiated by Spanish media in recent weeks. The platform connected the events to the organisation of a cycle of lectures in which the Iranian ambassador participated in various cities in the Basque Country in late May, after which some media began to point to the platform.
In its statement, Iranekin Bat defended the full legality and international legitimacy of Iran, which has consular representation in Spain, and reaffirmed its commitment to support the Palestinian people. The organisation announced a public appearance for this Friday.
Source: Google News ES — Crime (es)