Mosques and Jewish community were 'priorities' for neo-Nazi group Combat 18

The Spanish branch of the international neo-Nazi group Combat 18 did not have a "concrete plan of attack," but had targeted mosques and the Jewish community as "priorities," according to Catalan police, the Mossos d'Esquadra. 

The group's existence was discovered at the beginning of 2022 through social networks, police explained on Thursday, two days on from the arrest of 16 alleged members. 

According to the Mossos, police dismantled the group while it was still in an "initial phase" and when "there was no actual danger to the public." 

However, the group had a hierarchical structure, held regular meetings and sought funding and firearms. Therefore, police claim that there is "sufficient burden of proof" to demonstrate that they are a criminal organization. 

White supremacist organization 

In a joint operation on Tuesday, the Mossos d'Esquadra and Spain's National Police carried out 14 searches in various Catalan municipalities, as well as in Madrid, Lugo, Malaga and Toledo. They arrested 16 people, 13 men and 3 women. 

Combat 18 is considered the armed branch of the far-right extremist organization Blood and Honour, which has a presence in several countries and aims to achieve its political goals via a clandestine armed struggle. It is outlawed in Germany and designated a terrorist organization in Canada. 

The organization spreads hate for racist, antisemitic and ideological reasons, a Mossos d'Esquadra statement explained.  

They aim to establish a neo-Nazi regime, destabilize the normal functioning of political, social and economic institutions, and seriously disrupt public order in their pursuit of white supremacist control.