Núria Parlon, head of the Interior Department, has categorically rejected any connection between the homicide of a young woman in Esplugues de Llobregat last Saturday and jihadist terrorism. In statements to Catalunya Ràdio, the minister emphasized that, a priori, the assailant presented an altered personal situation and problems unrelated to jihadism. She also strongly criticized those who, according to her, "fuel hate speech" and try to "introduce fear narratives into the citizenry as a whole".
“"We are probably talking about different problems; it is easy to make such associations, generate fear, and foster hatred, but they will not find us here."
The minister expressed her concern about the two homicides and other incidents recorded over the weekend, while acknowledging that these events make it difficult to publicly defend crime data. She condemned associations that seek to "generate fear and foster hatred," implicitly referring to parties that have linked the murder to Islamist terrorism. She called for respect for the secrecy of the summary of the case and insisted that "making certain public associations with jihadism to promote hate speech is not appropriate".
Despite recent incidents involving bladed weapons and the two deaths, Parlon assured that crime data "are good," but admitted that events like these "do not help" the perception of security. She highlighted the importance of working with public perceptions and defended the actions of the Kanpai plan and collaboration with local police forces to remove bladed weapons from public spaces.
Similarly, the mayor of Esplugues de Llobregat, Eduard Sanz, confirmed to RAC1 that there is no indication of a jihadist link, neither from the police nor from witnesses. Sanz explained that the assailant is not a resident of Esplugues and that the police expressed surprise at the location and circumstances of the incident. The mayor defended the peaceful nature of the city and expressed dismay over the death of the resident. He mentioned a previous report of robbery in the area and some "quite isolated" incidents around Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, including a settlement in a construction area that has since been dismantled, but insisted that there is no generalized increase in crime.
