FUNDACIÓN VÍCTIMAS DEL TERRORISMO 93 - ENGLISH

12 For example, the most recent exercise, carried out in November and focused on the gaming ecosystem, identified recruitment patterns in short, highly visual formats tailored to younger au- diences. It is particularly noteworthy that Spain accounted for more than 75% of the total contributions report- ed in Europe, thanks to joint efforts by the Police, Civil Guard, Ertzaintza and Mossos d'Esquadra. These actions are complemented by en- hanced monitoring of social networks, immersive spaces and digital commu- nities where minors spend much of their time, together with ongoing co- operation with Europol, the European Commission and the main technology platforms. In addition, special attention is paid to content that exploits the im- age of minors or could cause significant psychological harm, allowing us to pri- oritise its removal. Overall, we combine community pre- vention, specialised training, citizen alert channels and enhanced capacity to detect, block and remove at an early stage any illegal content on the internet that may influence minors or encourage their recruitment. The aim is to act as quickly as possible and at all levels: ed- ucational, social and digital. How is cooperation between the Mossos d'Esquadra, the Civil Guard, the National Police and the Intelli- gence Centre against Terrorism and Organised Crime (CITCO) organised in the fight against terrorism? Cooperation between CITCO and the various authorities responsible for counter-terrorism is ongoing and fully institutionalised. In the fight against terrorism —whether of jihadist origin, violent extremism or any other mani- festation— CITCO maintains a con- stant assessment of the threat, in ac- cordance with the Counter-Terrorism Prevention, Protection and Response Plan (PPPRA). This assessment is fed by information shared by all relevant national actors in the fight against ter- rorism, providing an accurate and up- to-date view of the risk. In compliance with this Plan, we carry out ongoing analysis and monitoring, which takes the form of weekly meet- ings of the Terrorist Threat Assessment Committee, as we are currently at threat level 4. This Committee, coordinated by CITCO, includes representatives from the State Security Forces (PN and GC), Regional Police Forces (MdE and PAV), the National Intelligence Centre, the Department of National Security, the General Secretariat of Penitentia- ry Institutions and the Armed Forces Intelligence Centre (CIFAS). The MVA is an essential forum for integrating operational information, assessing risk indicators and establishing a common diagnosis of the situation. The result of this joint work is the proposal submit- ted to the Secretary of State for Security on the current threat level, ensuring in- formed decisions backed by a technical analysis based on broad consensus. In the area of detecting and removing terrorist content online, there is also almost daily coordination and interac- tion, which is essential for providing a rapid, consistent and effective response. Through UNECI, we facilitate and pro- mote their participation in the afore- mentioned Referral Action Days (RAD) and in other activities related to the removal of terrorist content, including training and awareness-raising activi- ties. CITCO integrates these capabili- ties and acts as a focal point, facilitating and harmonising the work of all the na- tional institutions involved. This collaborative effort is one of the keys to Spain's position as a European leader in the removal of terrorist con- tent, with a model aligned with EU standards and based on solid inter-in- stitutional cooperation and mature. As in any complex structure, there is al- ways room for improvement, and work is done every day to optimise informa- tion flows and anticipate new forms of threat. How do you assess the current coop- eration between CITCO and Europe- an intelligence services, especially with Europol and Frontex? Cooperation is excellent. CITCO is a focal point for various European initi- atives and participates in various work- ing groups, such as those relating to "Foreign Terrorist Fighters", the compi- lation of national data for the European Terrorism Situation and Trend Analy- sis Report (TEST) or PNR (Passenger Name Records, passenger data records used for risk detection). Also in the area of online terrorist con- tent, CITCO's cooperation with Eu- ropol is practically daily and excellent. In this area in particular, it makes no sense to limit oneself to national action: the internet is a cross-border environ- ment, and threats evolve at a speed that requires immediate coordination. That is why CITCO, through UNECI, acts as the national contact point for the EU Internet Referral Unit (EU IRU). Just as CITCO facilitates, coordinates and channels the participation of nation- ` Brigadier General Francisco Javier Marín of the Civil Guard, speaker at the summer courses at the Complutense University in San Lorenzo de El Escorial in 2025. INTERVIEW WITH THE DIRECTOR OF CITCO NEWS