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Russian intelligence agents reportedly ordered white supremacists to send letter bombs in Spain, US officials say.

2023-01-24T11:50:45.840Z


Spanish authorities have yet to make any arrests in connection with the attacks, but at the time they were suspected to be related to Spain's support for Ukraine.


They intercept 6 letter bombs in Spain 2:29

(CNN) --

US officials believe that Russian intelligence agents ordered a group of Russian white supremacists to carry out a letter-bomb campaign that rocked Madrid late last year, targeting the Spanish prime minister, US embassies, and US embassies. US and Ukraine, as well as the Spanish Defense Ministry, according to current and former US officials.

Spanish authorities have yet to make any arrests in connection with the attacks, which injured a Ukrainian embassy employee, but were widely suspected at the time to be related to Spain's support for Kyiv.

Some details of how, exactly, the campaign was led and carried out remain unclear, two US officials said.

It is unclear how much, if any, knowledge the Kremlin or Russian President Vladimir Putin himself had.

A Spanish policeman stands guard near the US embassy in Madrid, on December 1, 2022, after receiving a letter bomb, similar to one that exploded at the Ukrainian embassy.

(Oscar Del Pozo/AFP/Getty Images)

Still, US officials now believe the attack was likely a warning shot to European governments that have rallied around Ukraine since Russia's invasion in February last year.

The New York Times first reported on the alleged involvement of Russian intelligence in the attacks.

A State Department spokesperson declined to comment "on matters related to leaked intelligence or active police investigations," referring to the Spanish government "for information related to its ongoing investigation."

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“We condemn all attempts by the entities to harm and intimidate government officials and foreign embassies,” the spokesperson added.

As the war progresses, and particularly if Russia's position on the battlefield deteriorates, US officials hope Russia will try to find support groups it can work with to heighten fears of possible terrorist attacks carried out by Russian-backed groups in Europe and the Middle East, a US official explained.

The State Department designated the white supremacist group, the Russian Imperial Movement (RIM), as a global terrorist organization in 2020. The group is believed to have connections to Russian intelligence agencies and has been used as a proxy force before, Current and former officials familiar with US intelligence told CNN.

But those connections are murky, these people emphasized, in part because the United States lacks good visibility inside RIM.

But the possibility that a Russian government body, the military intelligence agency the GRU, appears to have been involved in the attacks is likely to increase pressure on the Biden administration to name Russia a state sponsor of terrorism, according to a current official. and a former US official.

So far, the administration has avoided taking that step, despite pressure from key congressional officials, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

There are drawbacks to taking that step, a US official noted, particularly because it limits the administration's ability to engage with Russia in areas where it might want to.

The white supremacist group, RIM, has associates across Europe and operates military-style training centers inside Russia, but is not formally affiliated with the Russian government.

But, said a former US official, "there is no question that RIM operates in Russia because it is allowed to operate in Russia."

Meanwhile, the GRU has carried out increasingly daring operations across Europe and beyond, including assassination attempts.

He is also believed to have offered rewards to Taliban-linked militants for killing US soldiers in Afghanistan, though in that case, too, intelligence reports remained murky and the Kremlin's involvement was unclear.

CNN's Jennifer Hansler contributed reporting.

letter bomb

Source: cnnespanol

All news articles on 2023-01-24

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