Spain arrests Moroccan suspected of involvement in terrorism

Spanish police announced the arrest of a 30-year old Moroccan national in Coloma de Gramenet, near Barcelona. Maghreb Arab Press (MAP) reported that the suspect was under an international arrest warrant issued by Moroccan authorities.

The man is suspected of being involved in a “terrorist organization” and “drug trafficking.” Spanish police said that they arrested the suspect on Tuesday.

Quoted by MAP, a statement from the Spanish police said that the arrest “reflects the process of dealing and addressing a global phenomenon that requires an effort that goes beyond borders and strong, intensive international security cooperation such as that between Spain and Morocco.

The suspect fled Morocco in September 2018 following the dismantling of a terror cell. The suspect is allegedly a member of that dismantled terror group.

“Data obtained by the Spanish investigation police revealed that the suspect illegally entered Spanish territory,” the statement said.

Morocco and Spain share strong diplomatic ties and cooperation in several areas, including in the fight against drug trafficking, irregular migration networks, and counterterrorism.

In 2018, Spanish Foreign Affairs Minister Josep Borrell described Rabat-Madrid counterterrorism cooperation as an example for other countries to follow. He added that their cooperation is “a model of inter-regional cooperation.”

In April, Moroccan security services, in cooperation with Spanish and Moroccan intelligence services, have arrested a Moroccan terror suspect, who was allegedly planning a terror attack in Seville, southern Spain.

The Spanish and Moroccan intelligence services “carried out an anti-terrorist operation, which resulted in the arrest in Morocco of an alleged jihadist who planned to carry out an attack in Seville,” the Spanish Ministry of Interior announced.

Source: MWN