Mohamed El Gharbi, a man previously incarcerated in Spain for his links to terrorism, was arrested on Wednesday, in Tetouan, Northern Morocco.
The fugitive, aged 36, has been sentenced to seven and a half years in prison by the Audiencia Nacional, Spain’s High Court in Madrid, for recruiting and indoctrinating others to carry out terrorist activities.
Upon his arrest by Spanish authorities, the suspect managed to remove his electronic ankle bracelet and escape.
El Gharbi was already serving an eight-year sentence for similar charges connecting him with a terrorist organization.
“He encouraged others to remain loyal to the ideology of jihadism and to pursue terrorist activities once released,” stated the Spanish court. His actions, detailed in court documents, included sending letters to other prisoners, urging them to stay faithful to the Islamic State’s ideology.
“These letters contained religious texts and flags linked to ISIS, pushing inmates to remain strong in prison and unite around the group’s beliefs,” the court revealed.
Further investigations found that El Gharbi used graffiti in shared spaces with other prisoners to promote the radical agenda. “He sought to create a ‘prison front,’ a group of radicalized Muslim inmates aligned with ISIS,” the documents continued.
The court noted, his actions converted the prison environment into “an active space for recruitment and proselytism for jihadism.”