Government was warned about Rambla attack, but tip was neither credible nor from CIA

BarcelonaCatalonia’s Home Secretary admits the authorities were tipped off about a hypothetical attack in May, but says it came from “other sources” and not even Madrid found it credible

At a press conference today, Catalan Home Secretary Joaquim Forn denied receiving a CIA warning about a possible attack on Barcelona’s La Rambla. However, he admitted that the Catalan authorities had been tipped off in May about the possibility of an attack on the boulevard, which neither the Mossos nor the Spanish government attached any credibility to. Furthermore, after the van attack on August 17, the authorities ruled out any connection with the May warning. The Catalan minister spoke at a press conference in the wake of El Periódico’s claim today that the CIA had warned Spanish intelligence, the Mossos d’Esquadra, Spain’s Policía Nacional and the Guardia Civil about a possible terror attack on La Rambla, although the “information was unsubstantiated and of unknown veracity”.

Forn admitted that they had received a tip about a possible attack on La Rambla last May, but it came from “sources other than” the CIA or any other anti-terror agency in the US. The Catalan minister chose not to specify which, and explained that it was dealt with as they do whenever there is a threat against concerts, places of worship, tourist sights and crowded spots. The warning was looked into and deemed to have “very little credibility”. Forn added that there was "a political contact” with the the Spanish government on the matter, and a few days later Madrid replied that they had no information about the warning and did not regard it as “genuine”. Stil, the Catalan police (Mossos d’Esquadra) stepped up security on La Rambla and other locations in Barcelona.

“We have said this time and again and we will say it once more: we have no direct communication line with the CIA”, insisted Forn, and he went on to point out that all contact with the US intelligence agency was always conducted through the Spanish authorities. He also mentioned that the Rambla warning wasn't even brought up at the meetings of Spain’s terror assessment committee on May 25 and June 28, when all anti-terror law-enforcement agencies in Spain met.

After the incident, the Spanish authorities ruled out any connection between the warning in May and the van attack where several people were mowed down on La Rambla. It is worth mentioning that, according to the investigation, the terrorists' original plan was different and that is why they were building bombs in their Alcanar safe house. The blast in the Alcanar villa on the night of August 16 forced them to alter their plans and that is what triggered the attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils. It is hard to imagine a tip-off about an alternative plan.

Police boss Josep Lluís Trapero explained that all tips about possible terror attacks are looked into and double-checked, as they did this time, and he insisted that --despite not finding it credible— about 10 per cent of all anti-terror surveillance officers in the city are posted on La Rambla. Trapero also emphasised that the very first conversation they had with Spanish police about the warning “happened after the attack”, when the director of the anti-terror unit of Spain’s Anti-Terror and Organised Crime Intelligence Centre (CITCO) telephoned the Mossos’ intelligence director to enquire if they had received the warning. Trapero explained that the CITCO itself ruled out any connection between the Rambla attack and the May tip-off.

Forn and Trapero had harsh words for Enric Hernàndez, the editor of Barcelona daily El Periódico. The Catalan minister slammed him over “the dirt and smear campaign” that is being conducted “by some” against the Mossos d’Esquadra. Speaking about the alleged CIA note in English printed on the front page of Hernàndez’s paper, Trapero said that “the document is a fabrication which the editor himself admits they pieced together from various bits of information”. The police chief argued that the Mossos d’Esquadra is “an honorable police force” and denied once more that they had received any warning from the CIA. He added that he wished Mr Hernàndez were present at the press conference and wondered out loud why any credibility should be attached to a document that doesn’t even bear an official stamp. “I would ask him who dictated this to him”, Trapero insisted, “I have many doubts about him, his information and his sources”. “We got nothing from the CIA, we have no contact with them”, he stressed.

Prior to the response by the Catalan police and ministry, this same morning Wikileaks and Julian Assange questioned the authenticity of El Periódico’s information in two messages on Twitter. Assange stated that the note appeared “modified” or “fabricated” because of the use of Spanish quotation marks and even claimed that the editor of El Periódico should hand in his resignation. Wikileaks called the story “highly suspect” and mentioned that it had to do with Catalonia’s independence referendum on October 1. Catalonia’s General Director of Police, Pere Soler i Campins, retweeted both messages.

This morning the Spanish government’s representative in Catalonia, Enric Millo, mentioned the “efficacy of the police” once again, and explained that any intelligence is always taken into consideration and shared with the other law enforcement agencies. “The police evaluate and analyse it”, he claimed. “This is not new, it’s always been that way”, he added. Millo advised prudence and admitted that “the information existed and a news outlet has published it. It was shared and used by the different police forces”.