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Spanish authorities have reportedly detected calls from jihadist groups to attack police officers and demonstrators during protests taking place in several European countries, including Portugal.
Portugal's Internal Security System (SSI) says it is "closely monitoring" the alert: "The Secretary-General of the Internal Security System is closely monitoring the situation referred to [jihadist calls for attacks on police officers and demonstrators] within her remit and in constant liaison with the relevant authorities," the SSI said in a response to the main Portuguese news agency Lusa.
According El País, the Spanish Interior Ministry reportedly identified messages on a website allegedly linked to the Islamic State (IS) group, urging attacks on police officers and demonstrators during protests that have been going on for several weeks in European countries including Portugal, Spain, France and Italy.
The demonstrations peaked last weekend amid a wave of violence in France, where buildings such as Limoges City Hall and the Lyon tourism office were set on fire and largely destroyed. Italy also saw violent incidents, including arson attacks, particularly in Milan.
In Portugal and Spain, the daily protests and "camp-outs" in the squares of some of the largest cities, notably Lisbon, Porto and Madrid, have been largely driven by the cost of living and the housing crisis.
The Spanish daily says it has seen an internal document from the Cybersecurity Coordination Office containing messages encouraging militants to take advantage of mass demonstrations and street clashes to carry out attacks.
According to El País, the way the protests are organised, with those in France alone estimated to have brought together more than 800,000 people last weekend, offers "a rare opportunity to attack them" and means that the police "become easy prey when there are skirmishes with demonstrators".
The jihadists are also said to have provided practical advice on how to carry out the attacks, calling for "martyrdom" through suicide bombings or vehicle-ramming attacks.