A major counterterrorism operation carried out by the National Police unfolded on Wednesday, 27th May, across various municipalities in the province, including Alicante, Xixona, and the Torrevieja and Orihuela Costa area in the Vega Baja region. The extensive crackdown involved a highly visible deployment of dozens of officers, though the National Police have released no official details regarding the specific objective of the raids.
Led by the General Information Commissariat (CGI) and supervised by the 3rd Section of the Instruction of the Central Court of First Instance, the operation has resulted in the arrest of at least three individuals.
The security crackdown against a group of individuals from Eastern European countries, reportedly from Chechnya, involved agents from the CGI, the Alicante Provincial Information Brigade, the Prevention and Reaction Unit (UPR), and the Police Intervention Unit (UIP). Specialists from the elite GEO unit also participated in the raids. The detainees face allegations of terrorism and other offences.
The National Police have maintained strict secrecy and declined to provide any details about the ongoing investigation. However, the sheer scale of the roadside deployments heavily drew the attention of local residents, particularly in Alicante and Xixona.
In Playa de San Juan, officers raided a holiday rental property on Avenida de Países Escandinavos during the early hours of the morning. A man was arrested at the scene, and a subsequent search of the premises was conducted by the National Police alongside a court clerk. Officers, some carrying sledgehammers, entered the property as the search concluded, though it remains undisclosed what materials were seized. At around 10:00 am, the handcuffed detainee was led out of the building with his face covered, escorted by hooded officers in full view of local tourists and workers.
Meanwhile, in the old town of Xixona, the operation commenced at around four in the morning with a raid on a house located on Mare de Déu de l’Orito street. Several police cars and vans blocked the road, alerting neighbours to the situation. A family residing in the searched property was arrested as part of the judicial probe. The Xixona Local Police assisted the operation by managing street closures, and the local City Council later issued a statement thanking the security forces for their daily efforts to ensure public safety.
The police operation remained active through the morning, and authorities have not ruled out further arrests.
