La cooperación internacional ha vuelto a dar sus frutos en la lucha antiterrorista. La Policía Nacional, en coordinación con los servicios de información españoles y marroquíes, desplegó este miércoles una nueva operación antiyihadista tras el arresto en Marruecos de Zouhair E. B., un chico de 23 años que residía en la capital hispalense junto a sus padres y tres hermanos. Según informaron fuentes del Ministerio del Interior, la detención del joven se produjo "hace días" y, tras recibir la correspondiente autorización judicial, los investigadores irrumpieron este miércoles en el domicilio familiar para registrarlo. Una operación dirigida por el Juzgado Central de Instrucción número 4 y la Fiscalía de la Audiencia Nacional.

Los agentes, tras varias horas en el interior del domicilio, acabaron minutos antes de las seis y media de la tarde. Se marcharon del lugar con varias cajas con papeles y material informático incautados, según fuentes policiales. No han encontrado elementos químicos.

Los investigadores dejaron detrás, dentro de la casa ubicada en el número 88 de la calle de Ortega y Gasset, al padre del arrestado, un líder religioso de la mezquita de Su Eminencia —un modesto local a principios de la misma vía—, a su mujer y a una de las hijas. En un primer momento, nadie de la familia quiso hacer ningún comentario. Pero a última hora de la tarde, la madre del detenido salió a las puertas de la casa. "No somos terroristas", dijo. Confirmó que había viajado con varios de sus hijos, entre ellos Zouhair E. B., a Marruecos hace unos días para visitar a su madre enferma. Regresó sin él el 9 de abril. Ese mismo día le comunicaron que el joven había sido detenido en el país africano. Una fecha confirmada por fuentes de la investigación, que también recalcaron que no se prevén más detenciones ni registros en Sevilla.

Zouhair E. B. llegó a esta vivienda con su familia hace unos dos años, según varios vecinos, que afirman que nunca habían dado ningún tipo de problemas. "Siempre tenían la casa cerrada", explican en este humilde barrio de la ciudad andaluza, en una calle dominada por casas bajas y que permaneció vacía durante buena parte del registro. El joven, según aseguró su madre, estudia Filología Árabe en la Universidad de Sevilla.

Nadie en la zona dice haberse percatado de la radicalización del joven o sospechar de la familia del detenido, que hacía una vida bastante discreta en una vivienda de dos alturas, empotrada entre otras un poco más altas. Una vecina, que trabaja con la madre de Zouhair E. B. en una empresa de asistencia a domicilio, defendía este miércoles al joven, el segundo de cuatro hermanos. "Es el mejor musulmán, es imposible que quisiera hacer algo así". Los servicios de información destacan, en cambio, que se preparaba presuntamente para atentar en la capital andaluza.

ampliar foto La calle de Ortega y Gasset, donde se ha producido el registro. Paco Puentes

Ciudad reforzada

Mientras los vecinos de Su Eminencia empezaban a llegar y se apostaban curiosos frente a la vivienda —“Enrique, aquí vamos a salir volando todos”, comentaba jocoso un joven—, en el centro de Sevilla la gente permanecía pendiente del cielo, de que la lluvia no impidiera la salida de las cofradías del Miércoles Santo. La detención del presunto yihadista no ha provocado un incremento del número de agentes desplegados en la capital y tampoco alteró los planes o la trayectoria de las cofradías. Eso sí, la presencia policial ya se había reforzado con anterioridad.

En 2017, la ciudad vivió varias estampidas durante La Madrugá, después de que un grupo de siete personas sembrara el pánico al proferir gritos sobre ETA y Alá mientras pasaban varias procesiones. Tres de ellos fueron enviados a prisión de forma provisional y 17 viandantes fueron hospitalizados, uno de ellos en estado grave.

Interior decidió la pasada semana incrementar las medidas de seguridad antiterrorista con motivo de la celebración de la Semana Santa y las elecciones generales del 28 de abril. Se han intensificado las labores de información, control y seguimiento. España se encuentra en nivel 4 de alerta —el más alto desde los atentados del 11-M— desde junio de 2015, cuando decidió elevarlo tras la ola de atentados que sacudieron Túnez, Francia y Kuwait.

Las fuerzas de seguridad han desplegado, a su vez, dispositivos específicos en cada una de las ciudades españolas para garantizar la seguridad y el normal desarrollo de los actos de Semana Santa. Este refuerzo se concentra, fundamentalmente, en los espacios y medios de transporte, acontecimientos religiosos, de ocio o lúdicos con alta afluencia de personas y en aquellos lugares estratégicos que son imprescindibles para el normal funcionamiento de la actividad ciudadana. El nivel 4 de alerta ya implica un aumento de la vigilancia de las infraestructuras críticas —como aeropuertos, centrales nucleares y estaciones— y la activación de todas las fuerzas de seguridad dedicadas a la prevención, investigación e información de la lucha antiterrorista. También una mayor presencia policial en la calle.</s>A 23-year-old man has been arrested in Morocco, in a joint anti-terrorist operation with Spain, over an alleged plan to attack Spain’s Holy Week festivities.

The suspect’s name is Zouhair el Bouhdidi and he is a student at the University of Seville. According to police sources in Spain, the young man was preparing an imminent attack against the processions of Holy Week in Seville, one of the most important events of the Catholic calendar. According to the newspaper El Confidencial, el Bouhdidi has already confessed to the Moroccan police his plans to commit a “large-scale massacre” in the Andalusian city. The Spanish secret services had reportedly been following him for several weeks.

Holy Week in Seville is a celebration declared as a Fiesta of International Tourist Interest. Nearly 70 brotherhoods come out in procession with wooden sculptures depicting scenes of the Passion of Christ between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday. The procession called La Madrugada—on the night of Thursday into Good Friday—brings together hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world, crowded through the narrow streets of Seville.

El Bouhdidi allegedly intended to attempt the attack this week in Seville with a homemade explosive known as “the mother of Satan.” It is the same type of explosive that terrorists prepared in the attack on Barcelona ​​in August of 2017, and in the attack on the Bataclan in Paris in November 2015.

Spanish police are now investigating the home of the alleged jihadist. El Bouhdidi lives in Su Eminencia (‘His Eminence’), a humble neighborhood of Seville. Neighbors say that he had never caused problems, although he did not really associate with others, and that the blinds in his house used to be closed. His recent trip to Morocco has been interpreted by the police as a possible farewell visit to his family.

Spain’s CNI (National Intelligence Center) is investigating whether el Bouhdidi was inspired by, or connected to, a video that the Islamic State published in recent days, in which they threatened to attack the religious celebrations of Holy Week in Spain. The video has been broadcast by several jihadist groups on Telegram and includes images of the attacks in Barcelona and crowds of people participating in the processions of Holy Week in Spain.

The threats against Spain have been spread on social networks by the Muntasir Media Foundation, which is responsible for propagating jihadist messages and which had already threatened Spain last December. The recent video encouraged attacks against Holy Week in Andalusia, the region of Spain that corresponds to Al Andalus, which was Muslim territory before the Reconquest. Recovering Al Andalus is an old obsession for jihadists and often appears in many of their propaganda messages.

The thwarted attack would have taken place only 11 days before the general elections in Spain. In 2004, three days before the general elections, the Madrid bombings ripped through the heart of Spain’s capital, leaving 193 dead and more than 2,000 injured. Since then, the Spanish police have doubled up on terrorism protection in the days before each major election.

A suicide attack in Holy Week in Seville would have certainly claimed many victims, in addition to causing a huge international media panic. On the other hand, one of the great dangers of La Madrugada—the most famous procession—are the stampedes: In 2017, more than a hundred people were wounded after a stampede was set off by eight mischief-makers, who had been recruited through social networks for a dangerous prank.

One of the issues on the table in the electoral campaign is the possibility of tightening laws and borders to prevent the entry of jihadists, potentially hiding among other immigrants, into Spain. This is one of the proposals of the far-right party VOX, which has been growing in popularity in Spain according to all the polls. The president of Spain and main socialist candidate are both against hardening the laws. In recent weeks the controversy over the entry of jihadists in Spain has been present in all media and is generating polarized positions among the Spanish.</s>The intelligence and police services of the two countries conducted an anti-terrorist operation that ended in the arrest of the "alleged jihadist," said the statement.

Contacted by AFP, the ministry refused to say whether the suspect intended to carry out the attack this week, during the world-famous processions that attract hundreds of thousands of visitors.

Spanish police were on Wednesday afternoon searching his home in Seville.

Spain is on level-four terror alert out of a maximum of five.

The country has twice been struck by major jihadist attacks.

In what is still Europe's deadliest in March 2004, bombs exploded on commuter trains in Madrid, killing 191 people in an attack claimed by Al Qaeda-inspired extremists.

Then in August 2017, a double attack left 16 dead in Barcelona and the seaside resort of Cambrils.</s>Holy Week services continued Wednesday at First United Methodist in Chipley.</s>Some members of the local Christian community are observing Holy Week, which opened yesterday with the observance of Palm Sunday.

Holy Week is traditionally observed as the final week of Lent, leading up to Easter.

Some Christians also observe Holy Thursday, which is believed to be the day when Jesus celebrated his final Passover with His Disciples.

And, Good Friday, which is a Public Holiday, is observed in memory of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

It is followed by Easter, when there is celebration of the day Jesus was raised from the dead.

Some Churches will be holding special services over the next few days, to observe Holy Week.</s>Les Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry, Folio 173v. The Entry into Jerusalem the Musée Condé, Chantilly.

How to Keep Holy in Holy Week

“Hi mom!” Came a cheerful voice at the other end of the line. “We’re eating out and catching a movie.”

Instead of my usual, ”Fine, don’t be too late,” I hesitated. Although it was our usual Friday night conversation, this wasn’t just any Friday night. It was, as Archbishop Fulton Sheen expressed it, ‘the Friday we call Good.’ After a brief reminder that this was Good Friday, much to my relief, said child returned home. My relief was tinged with a touch of sadness. The others, all Catholic, chose otherwise.

My mind traveled back to my own teen years. Dinner and a movie would have been unthinkable. It was a day of prayer, fasting and reflecting on what Our Lord had done for us. Stores closed from noon until 3 p.m. in remembrance of Jesus dying for us. Evening found everyone I knew packed into church like the proverbial sardines we ate on Fridays.

So what happened? We have not only lost the Holy in Holy Week, but Thanksgiving has become Turkey Day and St. Valentine’s Day has become plain Valentine’s Day. Holiness has drowned under a tidal wave of secularism. Try asking about the Agony in the Garden. People think you mean weeding!

But what a Holy Week we Christians have! We have heard the bleating of the donkey that carried Our Lord in His mother’s womb to Bethlehem and then to safety in Egypt. We also heard its bleating as it carried him on His final journey to Jerusalem amid the shouting of Hosannas by the crowd. Then, the bleating of the donkey was heard no more. Are we like the donkey heard no more, or do we continue down the path with Our Lord on His journey to Calvary?

Soon the shouting of Hosannas will become the sounds of preparation for Passover, the clinking of Judas’s silver, the slash of Roman whips, the splashing of water from Pilate’s hands, the crowing of the cock, the pounding of nails into flesh. Who could be indifferent to such a week as this?

The following are some ideas to keep holy in Holy Week.

Holy Thursday is a day chalked full of symbolism from start to finish. A meal similar to that served on the Jewish Feast of Passover is what my family has done over the years. Jesus was celebrating Passover the night before He died. What a great way to connect the Old and New Testament and share with Jesus the last meal before He died.

You can make this as simple or complex as you like. I made it fairly simple by incorporating the traditional foods associated with Passover and explaining their meaning. Here are the foods I use:
• A boiled egg for the symbol of new life instead of the traditional roasted egg symbolizing the sacrifice in the Temple;
• charoset, (the Jewish word for clay,) symbolizing the mud mixed with straw during the time the Jewish people were slaves and builders in Egypt and consisting of apples, nuts, cinnamon, raisins and honey (honey is for hope);
• parsley dipped in salt water symbolizing the sprinkling on the doorposts with the lamb’s blood before they left Egypt;
• Matzah or unleavened bread symbolizing how the people left Egypt in such a hurry they didn’t have time to let the bread rise;
• the Elijah cup for the prophet who was to announce the coming of the Messiah which we fill with wine, or sparkling juice, to symbolize the Chalice used by Our Lord.

Don’t forget to have a child ask the question traditionally asked at this meal, “Why is tonight different from all other nights?” More info and the answer to this question can be found on the internet. I served the above meal with baked chicken and chicken broth but no other vegetables.

Then of course there is holy Mass and the symbolism of the stripping of the altar, moving the Holy Eucharist to the Altar of Repose and the snuffing out of the Sanctuary Lamp. Very moving to watch. This is the night Jesus gave us two of our seven sacraments — Holy Communion and Holy Orders. Do the children know at least one they have all received? Good time for a mini Sacrament review.

Good Friday should reflect the most solemn day in the Church year. Our children should observe how we observe this day. Growing up, my brothers, sister and I would come in from play at noon. My mother would take us to the Stations of the Cross. Playing between noon and 3 p.m. was considered an affront to Our Lord.

I liked to take my grandchildren privately to the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday because they were too little to sit through the long service. Luckily, our parish has very beautifully carved Stations. (I love beautiful visual aides to explain the Faith.) Genuflecting before each Station, we discuss it at a level they can understand. What a joy to watched their rapt faces as we move about the church. We then showed them the empty Tabernacle and the extinguished Sanctuary Lamp and discussed the True Presence of Our Lord in our Tabernacles. This was followed by a simple outdoor picnic if weather permitted. This gives the little ones a chance to run around after the quiet solemnity of the church. If attending church is difficult, the whole family can pray the Stations at home. Let a teen lead.

One thing I like to do is decorate my entrance way with a small empty cross for Good Friday. I cover the cross with purple fabric and put the cross in a small box, along with dirt and small rocks or pebbles. If done ahead of time you can plant fast growing grass which you can use on Easter Sunday when you remove the purple fabric and replace with white fabric and add Easter eggs. We Catholics love visual aids!

Holy Saturday seems to be the pause between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. It is the day we can’t wait to rush toward Easter. But like the women who had to wait to anoint the body of Christ until the Sabbath was over, we too must wait. Early Holy Saturday morning we make small bird’s nests out of marshmallows chocolate and chow mein noodles. These we fill with jelly beans and put in small white boxes. There is a jelly bean poem on the internet that ties in the colors of the jelly beans with Christ. I glue the poem on the top of the box. After inserting a holy card depicting the Resurrection we deliver them to neighbors before going to the Easter vigil. (In today’s PC culture you have to choose which neighbor to give them to.) If we want to maintain the solemnity of Good Friday we must start our family on the path that begins on Palm Sunday and leads through Holy Week. How else will our children decide whether or not to eat out and catch a movie on the most solemn day of the Christian year?

Then on Easter Sunday we can say with one voice, “Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed!”

Sandra McDevitt writes on Catholic culture. Her program, ‘Stories From the Heart’, can be heard on EWTN Radio Saturday and Sunday. Listen to her Easter Special on EWTN Radio Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday. She and her husband, John, are the proud parents of five children and four grandchildren.</s>For many Christians a holy story is playing out every day this week.

Sunday marked the beginning of Holy Week, as Christian churchgoers received palm fronds at their Sunday service or Mass. Called Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter represents Jesus' return to Jerusalem, where the Christian Bible says he was greeted with palms.

It's just the beginning of Holy Week, which stretches through Easter Sunday.

Not the only holiday this week: What to know about Passover 2019

Get food: 30 Easter brunch deals and buffet specials around Indianapolis

Here's what you need to know about Holy Week:

Maundy Thursday represents several things for Christians, though precise beliefs and customs vary slightly among different Christian groups.

For Catholics specifically, Maundy Thursday represents the Last Supper, when Christians believe Jesus established the sacrament of Holy Communion by eating a meal with his disciples days before his arrest and crucifixion.

The holy day also marks for Catholics the creation of the priesthood, which according to Catholic Online is represented by the washing of the feet. Catholics believe Jesus washed the feet of his disciples, making them the first priests. Today, priests wash the feet of members of the congregation. Bishops may wash the feet of 12 priests, representing the 12 disciples. The Pope has washed the feet of migrants and inmates as part of the tradition.

Maundy Thursday is also unique in that the consecrated Host, the bread blessed during Holy Communion, is removed from the church for the only time of the year. The Host is removed from the sanctuary and placed on a special altar that parishioners pray over.

Holy Thursday is another name for Maundy Thursday.

The word maundy refers to the washing of the feet ceremony that is part of the Holy Thursday Mass.

After Holy Thursday comes Good Friday, when Christians commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus.

The holy day is acknowledged with a solemn service for Catholics, not a Mass because there is no Holy Communion. According to Catholic Online, churches are largely left bare with undecorated altars, as the Host remains outside the sanctuary.

Good Friday is the last Friday of Lent, and observers fast, which can mean abstaining from all food, reducing food intake or avoiding meat.

Like Good Friday, Holy Saturday is a day of solemn mourning capped with an Easter Vigil. It represents the end of Lent and penance.

Catholics typically mark the day with a twilight service that begins outside the church with a blessing of fire. The service moves inside with a candle-lit procession.

After Holy Saturday service, which like Good Friday is not a Mass because there is no Holy Communion, the mood shifts from mourning to the joy of what Catholics believe to be Jesus' resurrection on Easter.

The most important holiday on the Christian calendar, Easter is a celebration of Jesus' resurrection from the dead as told in the Christian Bible. It is the end of Holy Week.

Why is Easter so late this year?

While Easter is always on a Sunday, its exact spot on the calendar varies from March 22 to April 25, according to Catholic Online.

It's the moon's fault: All the details about scheduling Easter

The 2019 date of Easter is nearly as late in the calendar year as it can be.

Lent starts with Ash Wednesday and lasts 40 days and 40 nights, replicating Jesus' time in the desert.

It ends on Holy Saturday with the Easter Vigil. Some Christians end their penance — and begin doing whatever they gave up for Lent — on Holy Thursday, while others wait for Holy Saturday or Easter Sunday.</s>Holy Week continued at First United Methodist Church in Chipley on Tuesday. A noon service, followed by soup and sandwiches, will continue each day through Friday. All are welcome.</s>The transportation department sets up help desks at terminals and opens hotlines

MANILA, Philippines – Thousands of commuters and motorists have started to make their way out of the capital region for this year's Holy Week.

Officials expected the influx of vehicles traveling at major thoroughfares and expressways to peak on Holy Wednesday, April 17, or the last day of work before the holiday. (READ: Traffic advisory for Holy Week 2019)

It's an exodus of people going home to the provinces for the Holy Week at the airport, seaports, and bus terminals.

On the morning of Holy Wednesday, long lines greet travellers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. Officials expect an 8% passenger increase in NAIA this Holy Week.

In terminals, buses are already fully booked by the evening. But some still try their luck as chance passengers.

I have been here since 8 pm, so I am waiting for an hour already. We are from work that's why we arrived here late.

It's okay for us to stand in the bus. A small sacrifice, as long as we're with our family during the holiday.

Heavier traffic is expected Holy Wednesday night until Holy Thursday. More than 1,600 traffic officers are on duty at key Metro Manila roads.

At North Luzon Expressway, 700 booth tellers and patrol officers are deployed for the influx of motorists at toll gates.

Sinigurado naman ng Department of Transportation na may mga help desk sa mga terminal at operational 24/7 ang kanilang mga hotline. Mahigit 90,000 na pulis din ang nakadeploy para sa seguridad ng mga babiyahe ngayong Semana Santa.

The Department of Transportation places help desk at terminals and keeps their hotlines operational 24/7. More than 90,000 policemen are deployed to ensure security of those traveling for the Holy Week.</s>The Sunday before Easter marks the beginning of Holy Week. This is the final part of a longer period leading up to Easter, called Lent.

The term Lent is taken from a Teutonic word, originally meaning “the spring season”, and signalling the lengthening of days in the (northern hemisphere) spring season. Lent has been celebrated for at least 1500 years. It is typically seen as a time of self-examination and repentance, although more often now it is presented as a time of “preparation” for Easter.

Lent started on Ash Wednesday. On this day, many churches have an “ashing service” where ash made from the previous year’s palms are sprinkled with holy water and fumigated with incense and symbolically placed on the forehead in the sign of a cross, signifying penance. It is also a reminder of our own mortality: ashes to ashes, dust to dust, and of a time when people repented with ashes and wearing sackcloth.

Lent is an ancient practice. It lasts for 40 days (excluding the six Sundays that occur during this period). A more recent development has been the recognition of the week leading up to Easter as Holy Week. This probably comes from the narration of chapters 11 and 12 of Mark’s Gospel, which portrays Jesus as being in Jerusalem from a Sunday until his last meal on a Thursday. The week starts with Palm Sunday when Christians remember Jesus entering Jerusalem and the crowds waving palm leaves as he enters the city. Jesus stays near to the city for the remainder of the week.

On Maundy Thursday Christians remember Jesus washing his disciples’ feet. His words are recorded in John 13:34, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” This gives rise to the name for the day. The Latin for “commandment” is mandatum—hence Maundy. In England, on Maundy Thursday, the Queen will follow a very traditional role of giving Maundy coins, in order to demonstrate the love of the new commandment. A complete set of Maundy money consists of a groat (4p), a threepence (3p), a half-groat (2p) and a penny (1p)—totalling 10p.

Some people believe that Lent officially ends at sundown on Thursday and celebrate with Holy Communion and, often, a meal known as an agapé or a “love feast”. Others maintain that Lent continues through into Easter Saturday. After Maundy Thursday comes Good Friday, when Jesus was crucified. Why Good? This comes from the theological evaluation that, on this Friday, Jesus died on the cross “for our sins”, the basis for the “good news” which the Church has proclaimed for centuries.

The Stations of the Cross are focused around the events of Good Friday, recalling the various events which took place as Jesus made his way from his trial to his death on the cross. These Stations have been appropriated, in art or through personal creative responses, as ways of moving attention from the story as a singular ‘history’, to the significance of the story and the resonance of the events with universal human experiences.

Next comes Holy Saturday or Easter Eve—a day of vigil, when believers watch, wait and pray. This is an in-between time, a day when time can be spent reflecting back on the traumatic events that have just taken place, and looking forward with hope to the new possibilities that might emerge from those events.

The Christian festival reaches its climax on Easter Day with celebration marking Jesus conquering death. Counting inclusively, as was done at the time, beginning from Friday, means that Sunday is the third day. So the traditional affirmation is that Jesus rose “on the third day”.

Rev. Dr John Squires was formerly Principal of Perth Theological Hall. He is currently undertaking an Intentional Interim Ministry with Queanbeyan Uniting Church.



This article originally appeared on his blog, An Informed Faith.
Moroccan authorities arrest a jihadist preparing to commit a terrorist attack in Seville, Spain, during the Holy Week processions.