Spanish and Moroccan police on Tuesday (October 4th) dismantled a "
terrorist cell
" suspected of links with the jihadist organization Islamic State (IS), during a joint security operation, we learned from police sources.
This operation resulted in the arrest of nine people in the Spanish enclave of Melilla (northern Morocco) and two others in Nador, a town near Melilla, said a press release from the Moroccan police.
The two suspects apprehended in Nador, aged 34 and 39, were taken into custody.
"Apology for extremist ideology"
Spanish police sources interviewed by AFP reported the arrest of 10 people in the enclave of Melilla and another in Granada, in southern Spain.
According to the Moroccan police, searches led to the seizure of "
computer equipment
" in the form of mobile phones, SIM cards, a computer and digital media.
The suspects were "
promoting extremist ideology through the dissemination of speech and digital content via computer systems or direct communication, in order to recruit and enlist people to join terrorist organizations
", according to the same source.
The alleged leader of the network has links with another cell dismantled in December 2019 in the suburbs of Madrid and in Nador, as part of a joint operation by Moroccan and Spanish police, the statement added.
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Morocco and Spain officially resumed their security cooperation last April, after ending their dispute over the Western Sahara issue.
Moroccan police claim to have dismantled more than 2,000 jihadist cells and arrested more than 3,500 people in cases related to "
terrorism
" since 2002.
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