Madrid's security services have been placed on high alert following a series of bomb scares across the region, culminating in a controlled detonation in the heart of the capital on Wednesday morning. National Police and Tedax explosives specialists cordoned off Plaza de España at approximately 08:30 after a trolley suitcase was abandoned in the area. While Samur-Protección Civil personnel attended as a preventive measure, the subsequent detonation revealed the luggage contained no dangerous materials.
A night of disruption in the capital
The incident in Plaza de España followed a tense Tuesday night for emergency services. A significant security operation was launched at the General Directorate of the Civil Guard on Guzmán el Bueno street after a bomb threat was received. Nearby residents were evacuated as specialists spent an hour scouring the site. The search was briefly expanded to Reina Victoria Avenue following a second threat on a parallel street, though both locations were eventually cleared of any explosive risk.
Precautionary measures in Guadarrama
The wave of alerts continued into Wednesday afternoon in Guadarrama, where the Civil Guard responded to reports of a suspicious backpack at the entrance of a Supercor supermarket. The resulting security perimeter forced the evacuation of the store and impacted several local institutions, including a hospital, an institute, a sports centre, and multiple schools.
Tedax units and explosive detection dogs were deployed to the scene to inspect the item. As with the morning's incident in the city centre, a controlled preventive detonation was carried out, confirming the backpack was harmless. A second suspicious object discovered in the town around 20:00 was also ruled out as a risk by authorities.