Leader of failed coup dies on day documents declassified
Spain declassifies files on 1981 attempted coup in effort to dispel conspiracy theories
Spain's government has released dozens of documents related to an attempted coup that took place 45 years ago - regarded as a key moment in the country's history.
A group of armed officers burst into parliament and threatened MPs, aiming to overthrow the country's fledgling democracy and return it to dictatorship. Their efforts failed when King Juan Carlos refused to support them.
However, conspiracy theories have abounded since, including that the king may have had prior knowledge of the coup or even that he may have been actively involved.
The release of the files also came on the same day as the death of the coup's leader, Antonio Tejero Molina, at the age of 93.
Tejero's lawyer described him as a "man of honour, unwavering faith, and great love for Spain".
"May God grant him the peace that men denied him," he wrote on X on behalf of his family.
On 23 February 1981, a group of officers led by Tejero burst into the main chamber of the national parliament, wielding guns and threatening the politicians as a new government was being sworn in. Their aim was to return authoritarianism - six years after the death of the country's dictator Francisco Franco.
A photo of Tejero brandishing a handgun in the parliament as MPs take cover is perhaps the most famous image of the coup.
The release of the 153 classified files generated enormous expectation - so much so that the government web page where the documents were to be posted collapsed temporarily.
They include police and judicial reports, transcriptions of conversations between officials, and the reactions of foreign governments to the events.
But the files themselves appear to contain no explosive revelations.
Franco - Spain's brutal dictator - died in 1975, paving the way for the introduction of a parliamentary monarchy.
Six years later, Spain's fragile democracy appeared to hang in the balance for several hours as the coup attempt took place.
Eventually, it failed, after the young king addressed Spaniards - and the armed forces - via a televised message, expressing his opposition to the rebels and ordering all military to remain in their barracks.
For many Spaniards, the episode sealed Juan Carlos's status as the saviour of their young democracy and the country's rejection of Francoist values.
However, in the decades since, many have cast doubt over the supposedly heroic role of the king.
Other theories claimed the uprising was a set-up by the political establishment aimed at providing a test that would reinforce the country's democracy.
The current, Socialist-led government of Pedro Sánchez said having documents related to this event under lock and key was an "historical anomaly" that needed to be corrected and that their release posed no risk to anyone.
It also said their declassification would serve to undermine those peddling false theories about the coup.
However, there were some interesting revelations in the files, including that six members of the intelligence services were involved in the plot.
Another document showed the security forces estimated that, if a police special unit attempted to break into the parliament building, it might lead to "between 80 and 110 deaths".
Among the documents were also messages of support from foreign governments once the coup had failed.
A message in Spanish from Queen Elizabeth II to King Juan Carlos read: "All of us in Great Britain are reassured to know the final result."
Comments
It was a sad day to the Spanish. I remember it very well. Mr. Tejero burst into Spanish parliament with a band of armed officers. Everyone felt ashamed. We thought that it was the end. We regarded that this was a curse and this country was cursed to have always to live in dictatorship. Mr. Tejero and his gang did the most hedeous ridicule that people can do it. The lack of intelligence drove them to this stupidity. Tejero´s lawyer said that he was a man of honour and he had a great love for Spain, I don´t agree, it was the opposite, neather he was a man of honour, nor he loved Spain.
BBC said that Spain declassifies files on 1981, but I think that there were not any important files, by a simple reason, it´s because nobody kept any documents o files. The Spanish government didn´t want to reseach nothing just in case or by the flies (In Spanish). Every journalist has a theory like your experts, since then the newspapers continue speak about different theories. Generally speaking, they treat to intoxicate this society, but there are a lot of people that have their own theory.
See you.
In my humble opinion, this was a Mickey Mouse coup. There was no chance of it succeeding and it was only when that became obvious that the Saviour Juan Carlos appeared on your TV screens.
It was a sad day for Spain / the Spanish people. I remember it very well. Mr Tejero burst into the Spanish Parliament with a group of armed officers. Everyone felt ashamed. We thought it was the end. We thought Spain was cursed and would always have to live under a dictatorship.
Mr Tejero and his gang committed a terrible and ridiculous act. Their lack of intelligence led them to do something so stupid.
Tejero's lawyer said that he was a man of honour and that he had a great love for Spain. I don't agree. It was just the opposite. He was neither a man of honour nor did he love Spain.
The BBC said that Spain had declassified files about the 1981 coup, but I don't think there were any important documents. The simple reason is that nobody kept any documents or files. The Spanish government didn't want to investigate anything, perhaps because they wanted to avoid reopening the issue.
Every journalist has had a theory, just like your experts, and newspapers have continued to talk about different theories ever since. Generally speaking, they try to poison public opinion, but many people have their own theories.