The Esplugues crime demands speed and clarity from the Mossos
The image of a person with a huge knife in their hands, cornered by the police after having killed another person, is deeply alarming, and it is essential that we do not add more anguish to the facts that are known with unprovable assumptions. But precisely because the anguish is justified, it is vital that the Mossos – and ultimately, the Government – definitively rule out or confirm whether we are facing a terrorist attack. Because the facts, regardless of their motive, are terrifying.
It was Saturday at eleven in the morning when a man repeatedly stabbed a woman in the back. Then he cut her throat. The Mossos investigation has not been able to determine that they knew each other: everything indicates that she was a victim chosen at random who had the worst of luck.
The attacker also threatened other neighbors with a knife and slightly injured another. A neighbor struggled with the man with the knife, avoiding stabbings and throwing paving stones at him. The attacker walked down to Diagonal, where he was arrested by the Mossos. He was still armed and the police had to subdue him. At the Les Corts police station, the arrested man continued to be violent and had to be subdued again. After two nights in prison, he will be brought before the court.
This is the account that Cesc Maideu signs today in ARA, in which he also explains that the Mossos do not link the Esplugues crime with terrorism, and that the Minister of the Interior, Nuria Parlon, has stated that the man was emotionally unbalanced and could have had a psychotic break. Sources consulted by ARA warn that tests are still being carried out, that an investigation is underway to identify this man, of Moroccan origin, and that nothing can be ruled out 100%, just as it cannot be assured that the man made Islamist calls while attacking people on the street, of the type “God is great”. In fact, a witness to the attack told ARA that he does not recall the man uttering any Islamist shouts.
Yesterday afternoon, a minute of silence was held for the victim in Esplugues. Shouts against immigration were heard, coming from sectors where there were sympathizers of Aliança Catalana and Vox, who take the terrorist motive for granted.
The image of a person with a huge knife in their hands, cornered by the police after having killed another person, is deeply alarming, and it is essential that we do not add more anguish to the facts with assumptions that cannot be proven. But precisely because the anguish is justified, it is vital that the Mossos – and finally, the Government – definitively rule out or confirm whether we are facing a terrorist attack. Because the facts, regardless of their motive, are terrifying.
If, as it would seem, we are not facing a terrorist attack, all the better. But there has been a person, of Chinese origin, who had been here for a year, who is dead. Without security, only those who can afford it can live, and even then. Without security, coexistence is more difficult and the parties of hate fish for votes. If there is any trait that distinguishes us, it is that we are a relatively safe society. Let's not add this problem to the list of issues that are not working well.
Good morning.
