Man jailed for plotting to kill Spanish president as revenge for Franco’s exhumation plans

The Catalan police arrested a man from the Catalan town of Terrassa on September 19 for plotting the assassination of Spanish president Pedro Sánchez.

The suspect, an expert shooter who owned at least 16 firearms, including high-precision rifles and assault weapons, wanted to kill the Socialist leader for planning to remove the remains of dictator Francisco Franco from his mausoleum in the Valley of the Fallen.

Aged 63, the man is currently in the Brians 2 prison. A court in Terrassa is handling the case, as Spain’s National Court refused to take it over alleging that it did not pose a terrorist threat.

The news of his imprisonment was first reported by the Público newspaper on Thursday, and later confirmed by the Catalan News Agency (ACN).

According to Público, the man practiced Olympic shooting and worked as a security guard. He had arms license and had the ability to build and modify both handguns and rifles.

He did not have any criminal record. While he reportedly used to move in far-right circles, he was not an active member of any organization.

Police began investigating the man after he announced his plans to kill Sánchez in a Whatsapp group. He said he was willing to "sacrifice himself for Spain," and mocked the Spanish president as a "rojo de mierda." (An insult popular among right-wing nationalists in Spain to ridicule left-leaning people.)