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A trial in Madrid which led to the conviction of a Gran Canaria resident for extolling jihadist terrorism produced the startling revelation that one of the island’s most famous gay spots was a possible bomb target several years ago.
The famous Yumbo shopping centre in Maspalomas was in the sights of Islamic terrorists© Jenova2019.12.2015 - According to the
Canarias 7 newspaper, the trial heard that police were told by a teenager back in 2008 that he was being actively recruited by radical extremists to take part in an attack on the Yumbo Centre in Maspalomas, which is the headquarters of the Gay Pride Week held every year in the resort. According to the youth, he was harassed repeatedly by recruiters sympathetic to the jihadist cause and was asked to help prepare a strike. “Queers are good for nothings and should be eliminated. We can obtain the explosives required and an attack would be looked upon favourably by Allah” he was told by his recruiters.
The disclosure to the police’s anti-terrorist brigade at the time led the authorities to place a phone tap on Imad El Mouahhid, who was suspected of being behind pro-jihad activities during his time in Gran Canaria. He was sentenced to 18 months in jail for uploading videos praising jihadist terrorism on the Internet.
Gallery: Yumbo centre ‘targeted for bomb attack’ |
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