Spanish police arrest four suspected jihadists

Four people suspected of having links to Islamic militant organisations have been arrested in Spain, the country’s Interior Ministry confirmed on February 23.  

In a joint operation between Spanish and Moroccan police, three Spaniards were detained in Spanish enclave Ceuta, North Africa, and one Moroccan suspect was arrested in Nador, Morocco. 

All are accused of recruiting fellow militants to be used in terror attacks on Spanish and Moroccan soil, and to fight in the ongoing Syria / Iraq war. 

Spanish anti-militant investigations have closely monitored the Spanish territories of Ceuta and Melilla since an Islamist cell with designs to attack Spanish or other European targets was dismantled in Ceuta in March 2015. 

In 2015, the Spanish authorities disrupted a number of groups suspected of recruiting militants, and according to foreign travel advice given on the UK government website, the threat of a terror attack in Spain remains high.