Someone sent a package with a knife to a Spanish minister, the government has confirmed. The incident came after several politicians received letters with death threats ahead of a regional election.
Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism Reyes Maroto received a package containing what appeared to be a bloodied knife, the government confirmed on Monday. An investigation was launched into the incident.
The government released photos of a folding pocket knife it said was sent to the minister.
Newspaper El Periodico de Catalunya cited sources saying that authorities were checking whether the red liquid on the blade was actual blood or just paint. The paper added that Maroto herself has not seen the content of the package because it was opened by her secretary.
The knife was said to have been hidden between two CDs, which had prevented it from being detected by scanners. The package also reportedly contained screenshots of tweets and WhatsApp messages printed on sheets of paper, and a handwritten note.
“Threats and violence will never silence the voice of democracy. Freedom will prevail,” Maroto tweeted on Monday, thanking her supporters.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez condemned the threats against Maroto. “We are not going to let hatred take over the coexistence in Spain,” he said. Other politicians also stood by the minister.
The package arrived after similar death threats were received by Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska, the head of the Civil Guard Maria Gamez, and Pablo Iglesias, the leader of the left-wing Podemos party. Iglesias said that someone sent him an envelope with four bullets.
The intimidation campaign appears to be connected to the Madrid regional election on May 4. Maroto was proposed as a candidate for Madrid’s vice president by her Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party.
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