Overview
- Spain’s National Court heard new testimony from officers who said Yassine Kanjaa rapidly escalated jihadist content in the weeks before the January 2023 attacks and told his mother he was going to “do something,” presenting himself as a mujahid.
- Investigators detailed social media and phone material linked to radical propagandists Khaled Al Rashed and Muhammad Hassan, with around 70 religious posts in that period that police say included content encouraging jihad.
- Witnesses reiterated that the attacker moved calmly and fixated on sacristan Diego Valencia, described him as “like a specter,” traced the assaults from San Isidro to La Palma, and recalled his arrest kneeling at a nearby lookout with a “satisfied” expression.
- Prosecutors seek 50 years for terrorism-qualified murder, attempted murder and injuries, plus compensation for the widow, children and other victims, while some popular accusations ask for a reviewable permanent prison term.
- Kanjaa has been diagnosed with an acute psychotic disorder of probable schizophrenic affiliation, with the defense pressing for full insanity and psychiatric internment and the prosecution arguing only partial impairment.