Spain Arrests Two in Joint Operation Against Major Jihadist Network

Held in custody in Benavente (Zamora) and Cullera (Valencia), the two detainees were brought before Judge María Tardón of the National Court on Friday, who ordered their provisional detention for alleged crimes of belonging to a terrorist organization, indoctrination and recruitment of young people and minors, reports Heraldo.

The two accused were arrested as part of an operation carried out jointly by the Civil Guard Intelligence Service and the Moroccan Directorate General of Territorial Surveillance (DGST), the Civil Guard said in a statement on Saturday. The investigation was launched in 2022 and found that the two detainees, although residing in different provinces, communicated and coordinated their actions via social networks, a very conducive channel for the indoctrination of young people in jihadist terrorism.

The accused posted jihadist content on the networks, which allowed them to identify profiles favorable to radicalization and then integrate them into a private group of which they are the administrators. Dozens of Internet users from more than provinces across Spain have been indoctrinated and recruited to date. The detainees were also active outside social networks, according to investigators who discovered graffiti conveying pro-Daesh messages such as: "The Islamic State remains and expands".

In their indoctrination actions, the accused mainly targeted 18-year-olds and minors in vulnerable situations. They made video montages and translated Daesh’s original content into Spanish to facilitate their understanding by the latter. Investigators welcome the collaboration with Moroccan anti-terrorism services to dismantle these terrorist networks and prevent possible attacks.