A bankrupt businessman has driven a car containing gas cylinders into the headquarters of Spain’s ruling People’s Party (PP), which he blames for his misfortune.
The man, who has been identified by the media as Daniel Perez
Berlanga, 37, from Teruel province in eastern Spain, is under
arrest.
He is a businessman who lost all of his property and blames this
on the party, according to a government spokesman cited by
Reuters.
After Berlanga’s car, reportedly a Citroën Xantia, crashed into
the People’s Party office, police activated the so-called
Circular 50 protocol, a plan of action in case of a possible
terrorist attack. The scene of the incident was cordoned off,
traffic on nearby streets stopped and a subway station closed.
Two gas bottles were found in the trunk of the car.
The businessman also claimed he had with him 15kg of the
explosive substance ammonal and three timing devices, El Pais
reported. He said the explosives were timed to go off in half an
hour.
Initial analysis has however revealed no explosive substance in
the car, only flammable one.
No one was injured in the incident, though one person inside the
building nearly escaped being run over, according to Madrid’s
former PP president, Esperanza Aguirre.
Estrellan un vehículo contra la sede del PP en Madrid que podría tener explosivos http://t.co/XeI5SbvxPcpic.twitter.com/G0K09URR3R
— Santiago Romero Ruiz (@atlante83) December 19, 2014
"One of the cleaners who was inside the building was
extremely close to being run over because the car was being
driven at an incredible speed," Aguirre told radio station
esRadio, as cited by the Local.
Aguirre said the car broke through the glass front of the
building and reached a staircase inside.
La @policia pide a los trabajadores del #PP que no acudan a #Génova por el coche empotrado http://t.co/DQ0PZqlVZCpic.twitter.com/gi7C5KNvLW
— 24h (@24h_tve) December 19, 2014