Suspicious bags trigger bomb alerts in Madrid, Guadarrama and Seville over two days

Madrid and Guadarrama on Wednesday

On Wednesday, 11 November, National Police bomb technicians (Tedax) carried out a controlled detonation of a trolley suitcase left at Plaza de España in Madrid, around 08:30. Police sources cited by Europa Press said the owner could not be located, and that this, together with a recent attack in Oviedo that killed one national police officer and wounded another, prompted the operation. La Razón reported that the suitcase held no explosives, and Samur-Protección Civil attended as a precaution. Security forces cordoned off the area and evacuated it temporarily while they inspected the object. Once the operation ended, police confirmed there was no danger to the public.

In Guadarrama, the Guardia Civil took control of an incident that began around 16:00, when a suspicious backpack was found on Calle de los Escoriales, near a Shell petrol station and a well-known supermarket, according to the town council. Guardia Civil sources told Europa Press that the backpack contained no explosives, although the detonation produced a loud bang that startled nearby residents. El Mundo identified the supermarket as a Supercor and reported that it was evacuated, with a wide security perimeter set up around it. Around 20:00 another suspicious object appeared on Calle Dehesa de los Panes, close to another business, and the council said the security protocol found no risk there.

False alarms on Tuesday night

El Mundo reported several false bomb threats across the region and the capital during the night of Tuesday, 10 November, on the eve of a general strike day. The most significant one was near the Guardia Civil's general directorate on Calle Guzmán el Bueno, where police cordoned off the building and evacuated some neighbours as a precaution. A second call on a parallel street shifted part of the operation toward Avenida de la Reina Victoria. After about an hour of checks, specialists ruled out explosives and the emergency was brought to an end. La Razón separately reported a suspicious object near the same directorate that night, which turned out to be a false alarm and yielded no object at all.

Seville cordon on Thursday

On Thursday, 12 November, National Police cordoned off Avenida de la Constitución in Seville from Plaza Nueva to the Archivo de Indias after a bomb threat, according to ABC. The operation began between Calle Alemanes and the Archivo before spreading to Plaza Nueva. Officers found a suspicious abandoned object and launched the standard Tedax procedure, with at least a dozen National Police and Guardia Civil officers on the scene. Every building, shop and hotel on the avenue was evacuated, including the seat of the Banco de España, whose staff said they had no time to take their belongings. A day earlier, an abandoned suitcase had triggered a separate alert at the corner of Calle Juan Díaz de Solís and López de Gomara in Seville, ABC reported.

Official statements and open questions

The Guadarrama town council said it had followed Guardia Civil instructions not to publish information while the operations were under way, in order to protect security until they were resolved. The council's account of the two Guadarrama objects came from the municipality itself, while the detonation details came from Guardia Civil sources. The Madrid and Guadarrama incidents were linked in coverage only through the Oviedo attack cited for Madrid. The articles available at publication do not say what the Seville object contained or whether it was linked to the other alerts.