Spanish police searched a laboratory near Barcelona on Thursday in an investigation into the source of an African swine fever outbreak that has sparked jitters for Europe's top pork producer. A leak of the virus — which is harmless for humans but devastating for pigs — is one of the theories for the origin of Spain's first such outbreak since 1994. All 26 cases detected so far have been among wild boars in the same radius of a wooded area northwest of Barcelona. The Civil Guard and the northeastern Catalonia region's police force said in separate statements that they were entering and searching the premises of the IRTA-CReSA animal laboratory, close to where the first contaminated dead boars were found in November. The proceedings had been ordered by a court that had declared them "secret", the forces added. The centre belongs to a public company attached to the Catalan regional government and has biosecurity facilities at levels two and three on a scale of four. The outbreak's cause remains unclear. Catalan leader Salvador Illa told the regional parliament on Wednesday that no informa