Two young individuals under investigation for launching two homemade explosives at the PSOE headquarters in Cantabria last April, which did not cause personal injuries, have been released without charges after refusing to testify before the Court of Instruction No. 3 in Santander. The court has ordered the case to remain confidential while the investigation continues.
Ongoing Judicial Proceedings
The crux of the matter, as the judicial process advances, lies in the accusations they could potentially face. These charges have not yet been specified by the Cantabria Public Prosecutor’s Office, “because the investigation is still pending,” as confirmed by internal sources to elDiario.es.
However, the incident prompts a debate regarding what types of offences the two youths may confront should the accusation proceed. This raises questions about whether the actions could be classified as vandalism, if the situation falls within the scope of a public disorder crime, whether it could be classified as terrorism, or even if a hate crime hypothesis might be considered. All of these outcomes hinge on the results of the investigation.
At present, the judge from Court No. 3—who has been notably reserved in her communications with the media—has sought to question the youths. More accurately, –as reported by El Diario Montañés– she has attempted to do so, as the detainees have chosen to exercise their right to remain silent.
The events under investigation occurred on 25 April when an individual, hooded, entered the PSOE headquarters in Cantabria, located at Tres de Noviembre street in Santander, and launched homemade explosives contained in a plastic bottle while a historical memory event was taking place, attended by the party’s Secretary General in the region, Pedro Casares, who has served as the Spanish Government’s delegate since August.
The two explosive bottles ultimately detonated outside the headquarters. One of the attendees, who was among more than 70 participants, picked them up and threw them out the door, where they subsequently detonated without causing any damage. In fact, the attendees were unaware of the event at the time, and the talk continued as normal.
The Arrests
Nonetheless, the case has been under scrutiny for four months. Publicly, there was little hope of identifying those responsible. The party’s security cameras captured footage of a hooded individual entering the headquarters with a backpack; however, the face was unrecognizable. At least, this was the narrative initially conveyed.
Once the matter seemed forgotten, the police surprised everyone on Friday, 12 September, announcing the arrest of two young individuals in their twenties: one in Cantabria and the other in Ourense. One of them is the son of the mayor of the Cantabrian municipality of Santa Cruz de Bezana, Carmen Pérez (PP), who promptly issued a statement and held a press conference later that day to express her sorrow as a mother and to request that the incident not implicate her. Pérez insists on building a boundary between her personal involvement and political ramifications regarding this matter, which has quickly escalated in scope.
Shortly after, Pedro Casares, the PSOE leader in Cantabria, reacted, having learned of the news through the media. He convened a press conference at the Delegation of Government a few hours later. Surrounded by the Socialist leadership, he stated that “the Popular Party is behind these hate-filled discourses that later have consequences,” and urged the mayor of Bezana to break her governing pact with Vox.
All this public discourse unfolded while the two young individuals remained detained at the National Police facilities. That same afternoon, they appeared before the duty judge, who deemed it unnecessary to impose any precautionary measures. In other words, no bail was set, they were not placed in provisional custody, nor were their passports confiscated. Both were released pending the progression of the judicial proceedings and the formulation of charges.
Therefore, the matter still has a way to unfold. Allegedly, one of the youths was the individual who introduced the homemade explosives into the socialist headquarters, while another, his supposed accomplice, awaited in a vehicle to quickly flee the scene. One of the bottles containing flammable liquid bore the message “Against vengeful lies. PSOE = Satan.”
In any case, the investigation could shed light on further uncertainties beyond the identities of the material perpetrators: whether they acted individually in their own right or if the initiative has other responsible parties or collaborators involved.
