Spain Seeks to Deport Moroccan Convicted in 2017 Barcelona Terror Attack

Sentenced to 8 years in prison, Ben Iazza had made available his documentation and a van for the purchase and transport of explosives. Since September 2021, he has been on provisional release, having served 4 years of pre-trial detention, the legal maximum, reports El País.

Following a complaint from the Guardia Civil, an "administrative procedure sanctioning the expulsion" against the Moroccan for his alleged participation in activities threatening national security has begun.

According to sources cited by the newspaper, the Chamber has forwarded this request to the parties and granted them three days to present their arguments before ruling.

The third section of the National Court sentenced three members of the jihadist cell involved in the attacks to prison terms ranging from 8 to 53 years. The attacks carried out on Las Ramblas in Barcelona and in Cambrils killed 16 people and injured 140 others.

Mohamed Houli, injured in the explosion of the cell’s hideout in Alcanar, was sentenced to 53 years in prison. Driss Oukabir, who had rented the van for the Ramblas, received 46 years, while Iazza, who denies any collaboration with the terrorists, was sentenced to 8 years. The Appeals Chamber of the National Court reduced the main sentences by 10 years, bringing them down to 43 and 36 years in prison, while Iazza’s sentence remained unchanged.