Morocco and Spain’s security cooperation was “decisive” in dismantling a Daesh-linked terrorist cell in the Sahel, consisting of nine members, six of whom operated in Madrid, Ibiza, and Ceuta, according to Spanish police.
Spanish authorities said cooperation with Morocco’s Territorial Surveillance Agency (DGST) was “vital” to the operation, as DGST agents arrested three cell members in Tetouan and Fnideq, in northern Morocco.
“The authorities neutralized a real threat to the security of both countries,” the statement said, noting that the cell consisted of highly radicalized individuals with strong ties to Daesh’s ideology. These individuals were intent on committing violent acts, Morocco’s News Agency (MAP) reported.
Following meticulous monitoring, authorities identified the suspects as engaging in “belligerent jihadist activity,” including direct threats against Western populations and the Jewish communities, as well as inciting violence.
Simultaneous operations in Spain and Morocco seized blades and electronic equipment from the suspects’ homes.
The judge assigned to the case under the National Court issued an order on Monday for the detention of six suspects arrested in Spain, among them former detainees in terrorism-related cases in the country.