The Spanish police arrested nine separatists from Catalonia on Monday morning. Accordingly, they planned several attacks. The Spanish newspapers "El Pais" and "La Vanguardia", citing anonymous sources, report that the judiciary suspected the detainees of having procured material for the production of explosives.
According to information from "La Vanguardia" the searches had already begun in the early morning hours in the villages Sabadell and Parets del Valles. Among other documents and hard disks have been ensured.
Proponents of Catalan independence have so far protested peacefully. Only in this way, according to the calculus of the separatists, they can convince a majority of the Catalans of their goals.
The year-long dispute over the secession of Catalonia escalated in 2017. After the referendum, which had not been approved by Madrid, the then regional government unilaterally proclaimed Catalonia's independence. She was then deposed by the Spanish central government. Several Catalan independence advocates were imprisoned, former regional president Carles Puigdemont fled abroad.
Among the most radical advocates of Catalan independence are the so-called CDRs, the "Committees for the Defense of the Republic". These civic organizations are associations of supporters of independence and claim to defend the so-called "Catalan Republic" in a "peaceful but powerful way." They often participate in street blockades and other forms of civil disobedience.
According to "La Vanguardia" and "El País" the detainees should be members of such a committee.