The Washington Post has published an article praising the work carried out by the Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police) and the Catalan government before, during and after the attacks in Catalonia, and detailed several measures taken during recent years in Catalonia to prevent and to act rapidly to mitigate such events.
Peter Neumann, director of London’s International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence (ICSR) explained to the US newspaper that "Catalan authorities have systematically prepared to prevent attacks in recent years.”
Indeed, the Post highlights how the Catalan police strategy already met with success in 2008 when the police forces prevented a large-scale attack on Barcelona's public transport network planned mainly by Pakistani radicals.
Finally, they also note the Catalan authorities' foresight and their employment of counter-terrorist specialists capable of speaking the "various accents common in different parts of the region’s Muslim communities." They also reinforced their international partnerships with countries like Belgium and Morocco, with whom they have carried out coordinated operations.