No, a sniper was not placed at the León Cathedral to protect against radical Islamists in Spain

By: Emmi Kivi
December 4 2023

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(Source: X/Screenshots/Modified by Logically Facts)

What's the claim?

Social media users shared an image of a sniper atop the León Cathedral in Spain with the claim the sniper was positioned there to protect against attacks from radical Islamists (archive here). The text reads, "Spain takes drastic action against Islamists as Christian churches and cathedrals come under threat. Snipers protect special visitors to cathedrals like Leon in Spain" and continued to claim that churches are becoming targeted by Islamists.

However, Logically Facts found that the sniper was stationed at the León Cathedral as a security measure during an EU telecommunications meeting in October, not to protect the Cathedral against Islamist attacks. 

What we found

A reverse image search of the photo led us to an article by the Spanish newspaper La Razón published on October 25. The article headlined, "A sniper protects the Cathedral of León, to the disbelief of the neighbors: 'I never thought I saw it,'" (translated from Spanish) displayed visuals that match the social media footage.

The article disclosed that the startling sight of a sniper on the Cathedral was part of the added security measures taken during an EU telecommunications meeting organized in the framework of the Spanish EU presidency. The informal ministerial meeting took place between October 23–24 in León. 

Left image from the viral video. Right photo displays matching visuals from Spanish-language
newspaper discussing security measures of EU meeting in León, October. (Source: TikTok/Infobae)

A Google search led us to other Spanish-language reports on the event. According to a report by Infobae, the Spanish law enforcement agencies temporarily extended security throughout León, especially in places where EU member state officials were visiting the city. The increased security included, for example, police officers guarding the best-known hotels and helicopters flying over the city. 

Amid rising tensions in the Middle East, in October, Spain boosted security measures and counter-terrorism efforts as other European countries stated a rise in extremist threats; the sniper on the Cathedral was to guarantee the security of the EU meeting. 

The verdict

A sniper was not placed on the León Cathedral to protect against attacks from radical Islamists in Spain. The sniper was part of Spanish law enforcement's temporary boost in security measures during a two-day EU telecommunications meeting between October 23–24, in the framework of the Spanish EU presidency. Therefore, we have marked this claim as false.