Spain faces wave of bomb scares as Madrid and Guadarrama trigger major security operations

Residents in Madrid and the surrounding region have faced sealed-off streets, emergency evacuations and major police deployments following a series of bomb alerts, with two separate operations in less than 24 hours raising concerns over the growing number of threats. Two warnings near the Guardia Civil’s national headquarters in Madrid were followed by a security operation in Guadarrama on Wednesday, November 11.

There, a suspicious backpack prompted the evacuation of nearby businesses before TEDAX specialists carried out a controlled detonation. A second suspicious object was reported later in the town. Neither of the Madrid threats resulted in explosives being found. The backpack in Guadarrama was also later confirmed by the Guardia Civil to contain no explosive material, despite conflicting early reports.

Two bomb threats near Guardia Civil headquarters

The first Madrid alerts came on Tuesday evening, near the Dirección General de la Guardia Civil on Calle Guzmán el Bueno. Police sealed off streets around the headquarters and carried out checks after receiving a bomb threat. While officers were investigating, a second warning identified a location on a nearby parallel street, prompting the operation to move towards Avenida de Reina Victoria.

Police and emergency services mounted a substantial response. Some residents were reportedly told to leave their homes, while others were temporarily unable to return as the security cordon remained in place. SAMUR-Protección Civil also activated its precautionary protocol for a possible multiple-casualty incident. The checks lasted around an hour. No explosives were found and nobody was injured. Earlier on Tuesday, police had also investigated an abandoned briefcase near Calle Félix Boix in Chamartín. That object was examined and found not to contain explosives. There is no confirmed link between the three alerts. 

Guadarrama operation forces evacuations

The following afternoon, residents in Guadarrama faced another large-scale security operation after a suspicious backpack was found at around 4pm on Calle de los Escoriales, close to a Shell petrol station and the Supercor supermarket. The Guardia Civil established a security perimeter and restricted access. The petrol station and nearby supermarkets, including Supercor and DIA, were evacuated as a precaution. Officers urged people to stay away while TEDAX specialists and detection dogs examined the backpack.

Specialists eventually carried out a controlled detonation, which caused a loud bang that could be heard nearby. The Guardia Civil later confirmed that the backpack contained no explosives. It was a precautionary detonation, not the disposal of a confirmed bomb. At around 08:00pm, a second suspicious object was reported near a business on Calle Dehesa de los Panes. Police activated the security protocol again, but checks found no risk. The Town Hall said residents should follow Guardia Civil instructions and avoid spreading information while operations were under way. 

Bomb threats spreading across Europe

The alerts come amid a rise in false bomb threats affecting European transport. At least 35 flights had received threats since the start of November by November 6, according to reporting based on a Reuters tally. The warnings affected at least 16 countries and led to diversions, evacuations and security searches, although no explosives were found on the aircraft.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency has warned that, while the risk from an individual false threat may be low, the growing number of incidents puts additional pressure on aviation operations. Investigators have not publicly identified those responsible or established who is behind the wider wave.

Spain has also seen a far more serious incident this week. In Oviedo, Asturias, a backpack containing an explosive device detonated during a police operation on Tuesday, killing a Policía Nacional officer and seriously injuring a TEDAX specialist. There is no known connection to the Madrid or Guadarrama alerts. 

For people living near the affected locations, the consequences of a threat are immediate even when no device is found: shops and services close, streets are blocked and residents can be kept away from their homes while officers establish whether there is a genuine danger. Police must treat every credible warning seriously. But with several alerts in quick succession, the question of who is making them, and whether any are connected, is becoming increasingly important.