Spain Defends Expulsion of Moroccan Imam Accused of Jihadist Indoctrination

The head of the Islamic community of Reus (Tarragona) had been arrested in October and expelled a month later. The Spanish police accuse Mohamed Badaoui of jihadist indoctrination, on "vulnerable and manipulable" groups, including unaccompanied Moroccan minors, and therefore of being a threat to national security.

Reacting to this procedure, the Spanish government referred to the regulations in force on immigration. "Participating in activities contrary to national security or likely to harm Spain’s relations with other countries, or being involved in activities contrary to public order," states one of the articles of the said text.

"The State security forces and bodies, in the field of immigration offenses and their sanction regime, are responsible for following the legally established procedures and deadlines in this matter," the government continued. In this sense, the Spanish security forces have carried out 135 arrests for their alleged membership or connection with jihadist terrorism, including two minors among the arrested persons - a Spanish national and another Moroccan.

The judiciary recalled that the decision of the Ministry of the Interior was based on a complaint from the General Commissioner of Information where he warned against "his ideological radicalism", specifically mentioning "indoctrination" in his community by the dissemination of "pro-jihadist" content.