Joint counter-terrorism operation in Spain and Morocco

A coordinated effort between Morocco’s General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance (DGST) and the General Intelligence Directorate of the Spanish National Police resulted in a counter-terrorism operation that led to the arrest of three individuals active in Tetouan and Fnideq and six others in Madrid, Ibiza, and Sebta. A statement by Morocco’s Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations (BCIJ) indicated that searches conducted at the suspects’ residences resulted in the seizure of bladed weapons and electronic equipment, which will undergo further digital forensic analysis. Furthermore, preliminary investigations showed that some of the suspects were previously imprisoned in Spain on terrorism-related charges, were promoting ideologies tied to the Islamic State (also known as IS or its Arabic acronym Daesh) and holding meetings in Sebta and Tetouan to plan and coordinate terrorists activities, with intent to eventually join the organization’s branch in the Sahel region south of Sahara.