Mossos Seal Off Mataró Street and Confine School Over Suitcase
Mossos d'Esquadra cordoned off part of central Mataró on Nov. 13 and confined a school and nearby firms after an abandoned suitcase was found.
The Mossos d’Esquadra (Catalonia’s police) sealed off part of central Mataró on Friday, Nov. 13, after an abandoned suitcase turned up on Sant Agustí street, right beside the Escola Pia Santa Anna school. Pupils, teachers and other staff were told to stay inside the building, and workers at several nearby companies were confined as well, according to the outlet El Caso.
Police have not said what the suitcase contains. El Caso reports that everything points to it being harmless, and that early information indicates no bomb threat was received in connection with the find.
The perimeter and the road restrictions
Shortly after 9 a.m., officers closed the street and set up a security perimeter that also reaches the Camí Ral. The Policia Local (the municipal police of Mataró) is helping the Mossos. Mataró is the capital of the Maresme county.
Inside the cordon, officers have restricted both vehicle traffic and pedestrian movement. The restrictions also affect the approaches to Plaça de Santa Anna and to La Rambla, according to El Caso.
Bomb disposal specialists and a dog unit called in
El Caso says the Mossos activated TEDAX (the technicians who specialize in disarming explosive devices) and the canine unit to examine the suitcase and establish whether anything inside could be dangerous. The outlet adds that all indications are that it is not.
The deployment was set off by the luggage itself, left unattended on a public street. It is not known how long the suitcase had been there or who left it.
Why it matters: extra caution after the Oviedo incident
El Caso ties the level of caution to a recent incident in Oviedo, where a Policía Nacional (Spain’s national police) officer died when a backpack exploded. Since then, the outlet reports, the Mossos have taken maximum precautions with finds such as the one in Mataró.
For people in the area, the practical effect is a school and several workplaces operating under confinement, which means staying indoors instead of leaving the building, along with closed or restricted streets near the town center. The Mossos have not announced whether classes or work routines will be changed beyond the confinement itself.
What to watch next
The Mossos have not yet said when the confinement of the school and the businesses will end, or when the closed streets will reopen. Those two announcements will show how long the disruption lasts around Sant Agustí street, the Camí Ral and the approaches to Plaça de Santa Anna.
El Caso said its newsroom is working to expand the report and is updating the story as police release more information about the suitcase and the operation.
Source: El Caso
