Spanish Army Reports Identify 72 Moroccan Personnel in Ceuta; Defense Minister Says She Was Unaware
Three Spanish military intelligence reports reportedly identified 72 Moroccan military personnel and agents still in Ceuta after the mass crossings in July. Spain’s defense minister says she knows nothing about them and is now referring the matter to the judicial investigation.
The story was reported on Monday, September 28, by El Español. The newspaper says it has seen at least three reports drawn up by the Spanish army after the events of July 30 and 31.
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The documents reportedly identify 22 members of Morocco’s intelligence services and 50 active-duty military personnel spread across different parts of Ceuta. Spanish military sources say they never left the city after entering it.
The reports describe them as the “centers of gravity” of networks responsible for relaying instructions, funding some camps and identifying vulnerable points in the city. The 22 alleged agents reportedly coordinated operations, while the 50 military personnel operated on the ground through other groups.
The Spanish army is said to have compiled a file containing as many as 50 photographs. The individuals were reportedly identified based on their movements, physical condition and exercise sessions held in small groups. Some also allegedly followed and filmed Spanish soldiers while they were on patrol.
These suspicions add to those raised in a report by Spain’s National Centre for Immigration and Borders. The report described Moroccan agents, in uniform or civilian clothes, directing some groups during the July crossings. Spanish police had at the time questioned the conduct of members of the Moroccan security forces.
“I’m not aware of it”
Questioned a few hours after the investigation was published, Margarita Robles did not confirm that the 72 military personnel were there. “I’m not aware of it. I know there is a lot of speculation about what happened,” Spain’s defense minister said in Brussels, according to Euronews.
The Ministry of Defense is sticking to that response and referring the matter to proceedings underway before the National Court. Judge María Tardón is seeking to establish how the crossings were organized, what information Spanish authorities had received, and whether the events could constitute an attack on territorial integrity. She is examining, in particular, the possibility of a “hybrid warfare” operation.
The new reports attributed to the army concern a different question from the initial warnings: they seek not only to establish what happened at the border, but also to identify people who may have remained in Ceuta after the crossings.
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Judge Tardón has requested the reports produced by the Spanish army and intelligence services. Robles, for her part, is due to appear on October 6 before the Congress committee on classified expenditures to answer questions about the role of intelligence and the information it had during the Ceuta crisis.
