Majorca Daily Bulletin reporterPalma22/04/2016 00:00
TW
2

Regional government spokesperson, Pilar Costa, spoke earlier today of the need for calmness and for trust in the security forces in light of the arrest of the IS suspect, Mohammed Harrak. In a press conference following the cabinet meeting, she said that "we have seen that the security forces are working well". She added that there should be caution while the facts of the case are being investigated, saying that it should not be exaggerated unnecessarily.

Costa said that the national government's delegation in the Balearics (responsible for security affairs) was keeping the regional government constantly informed. Asked about potential negative publicity because of the arrest and also because of the anti-tourist graffiti in Palma, she reiterated what the tourism minister, Biel Barceló, had said earlier in the week, which was to not get things out of proportion.

She believed that the graffiti was an "isolated incident", while her message was "tourists welcome" and certainly not "tourists go home".

Harrak, who has said that he was working for Spanish intelligence, is being kept in isolation at Palma prison.

Meanwhile, José Hila, Palma's mayor, and other town hall representatives attended the Day of the Book market in the Son Gotleu district where Harrak was arrested. The mayor said that it was wonderful to see groups and schools from the neighbourhood taking part in organising the day as a celebration of reading and culture. "There are many people in Son Gotleu who are making efforts every day to improve the neighbourhood. We at the town hall are helping them in every way we can. The truth is that Son Gotleu is like this, as it is today, a neighbourhood with activities and community."