Spanish police on Tuesday raided the central headquarters of the Catalan regional security force to seize communication records of the October 1 independence referendum that went ahead in Catalonia despite being ruled unconstitutional by Spain.
The searches coincide with ongoing investigations into allegations that the regional police force Mossos d'Esquadra demonstrated passivity when ordered to collaborate with semi-militarized Civil Guard and the Spanish National Police to block the voting process in the illegal ballot, Efe news reported.
The Civil Guard colonel coordinating the raids, Diego Perez de los Cobos, earlier lodged a complaint with the High Court in Catalonia claiming the Mossos had shown "absolute passivity" during the referendum and even hindered the operations of the two national police forces.
The Civil Guard raids on Tuesday were ordered by a National Court judge and targeted not only the Mossos HQ located in Terrassa, a town in the north of Barcelona's metropolitan area but also key police stations across the prosperous region of Catalonia.
Officers sought to recover internal radio recordings and e-mails pertaining to the referendum.
Scrutiny of the Mossos' actions came to a head in the wake of the secessionist ballot when former regional police chief Josep Lluis Trapero was called to give testimony at Spain's national court in a sedition probe.
Trapero was sacked after the Spanish government assumed direct control of Catalonia's devolved administrations over the weekend in response to the unilateral declaration of independence voted through the Catalan assembly on Friday.
On the lead up to the vote, Spain's Civil Guard were ordered to seize all referendum-related materials.
A raid on the Catalan finance ministry on September 20 was hindered when a huge group of separatist protesters blocked the exit and vandalized the Civil Guard vehicles parked outside despite the presence of Mossos officers.
The event prompted the sedition inquiry, which saw Tapero stripped of his passport while two high-profile separatist leaders charged with fuelling the demonstration remained in preventative prison awaiting a judicial investigation.
Spanish police attracted international attention on the day of the referendum when images of officer forcibly removing Catalan voters from polling stations were shared widely on social media.
Hundreds of voters were injured in the security clampdown although only a small number spent more than one night in hospitals.
--IANS
soni/mr
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