The Civil Guard deactivates a bomb package sent to an official at the Zuera prison

A Civil Guard bus for the transfer of prisoners, at the entrance of the Zuera prison (Zaragoza) in a file image. Javier Cebollada (EFE)

The Civil Guard has deactivated this Wednesday in the Zuera Penitentiary Center (Zaragoza) a package bomb that an official from this prison had received, as confirmed to EL PAÍS by sources from the armed institute and Penitentiary Institutions.

The envelope with the explosive had not arrived at the prison, but at the headquarters in the Aragonese capital of the CSIF union, of which the worker is a prison delegate.

The latter, suspecting its content, had transferred it to the prison so that it could be checked with the center's scanner.

The security managers then detected that it contained cables and what seemed to be an "explosive substance", for which they notified the deactivation specialists, who finally neutralized it without causing any personal damage.

According to union sources, the package bomb had arrived at its headquarters several days ago and had remained there without being handled or raising suspicions, since the recipient had not gone through the premises for several days.

When he went to the union and checked the mail, the official was suspicious of the package because he did not expect it, did not know the sender and, above all, because despite appearing as sent from one city, the postmark corresponded to another.

The prison worker then decided to travel with the package to the Zuera prison so that the Civil Guard, responsible for the security of the center's perimeter, could inspect it with the scanner that is used in the center to exhaustively review all the correspondence that arrives. to prevent the entry of prohibited products, such as drugs, mobile phones and weapons.

In that inspection, the agents detected what could be an explosive substance inside, for which they alerted the deactivation specialists.

The Civil Guard investigates the specific substance and its danger, as well as the author of the shipment.

The worker has already testified before the judge, according to union sources, who add that there is no record that he had received threats.

The CSIF union has issued a note in which it demands that the Ministry of the Interior review the security measures for prison officials "given the risks to which they are subjected in their work", in addition to demanding that the prison workers "without further delay" the status of agent of the authority, which would aggravate the sentences of those who were convicted of assaulting them.

A police document from last September indicated that the phenomenon of jihadist radicalization of inmates had caused "the marking of prison officials and the Security Forces and Bodies as targets."

In recent months, jihadist-style magazines have launched threats against both groups, inciting their followers to attack them.