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Murillo and the weapons found at his home. mossos
Trial begins of Franco fan who wanted to kill Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez

Trial begins of Franco fan who wanted to kill Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez

Manuel Murillo, who has been remanded in custody since his arrest in 2018, is charged with proposing homicide and stockpiling weapons and could face 18 years in jail if found guilty

Mateo Balín

Madrid

Tuesday, 15 March 2022, 12:32

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Manuel Murillo had one aim in life: “To force a change in the political life of this country,” he said. This 66-year-old from Tarrasa, in Barcelona, an athlete and security guard whose hobby is shooting, is said to have made plans to kill the prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, after the process began to move Franco’s remains from the Valley of the Fallen in the summer of 2018.

“We can’t allow them to humiliate the generalísimo like this… they just want revenge for having lost the war,” he said in a message at the time.

Equipped with an arsenal of weapons at his home, the man behind Operation Valkiria spread his ideas on a WhatsApp group whose members were right-wing ideologists.

His animosity towards Sánchez grew as the days went by and his threats became increasingly explicit. “If necessary I’ll go armed and sit on Franco’s tomb and shoot anyone that comes near me. If they touch Franco, we should fight a war for our honour, and this time make sure there is nobody left,” he said in another message.

In his sights

As the process to move Franco’s remains continued, Murillo said he couldn’t wait to have the prime minister “in his sights”. His dream was to “go back to the days of the wild west, with a revolver in my belt” or even an MG42 machine gun. “That cleans the shit more quickly,” he wrote.

The accused, who denies that Franco began the Civil War and blames “socialists, independence supporters and communists” for it, was showing signs of wanting to carry out an assassination and that is why he ended up in court. The case will be heard today (15 March) and tomorrow and the prosecution is asking for a jail sentence of 18 years and six months: 11 and a half years for proposed homicide and seven years for stockpiling weapons and ammunition of war.

No mental disorder

Murillo, whose father was the last Francoist mayor of Rubí, is not believed to be suffering from any type of mental disorder. His “solution” for what he considered serious problems in the country was a national uprising, or snipers taking politicians out one by one. “It all needs to be carefully planned, so I need help,” he wrote.

Protected witness

He was arrested after somebody who received the messages contacted the police. They are now a protected witness in the case against him. When officers searched his vehicle they found a pistol, a carbine, a dagger and several items used in shooting. A search of his home revealed several revolvers, a shotgun, an assault rifle and a handmade crossbow. The police also seized a large amount of ammunition and several explosive devices.

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