Spanish Police Arrest 4 Moroccan Truck Drivers Suspected of Jihadist Ties

The leader of the group, aged 48, is a freight transporter throughout Spain. He is suspected of being radicalized. He has lived in Spain for 20 years and travels a lot in Spain and abroad due to his work. For the moment, there is no indication that he has been in contact with other radical groups outside the country, say sources close to the investigation to El Confidencial.

"Cheikh", as he was called by the three other members of the group, denied the facts before the judge who ordered his detention. The four Moroccans all reside in the Murcia region for at least 15 years. They met in a local mosque, the same sources specify.

To read: Spanish Court to Try Moroccan Suspects for Alleged ISIS Plot

The accused were apprehended after more than a year of investigation during which their phones were wiretapped. They were indoctrinated into the ideology of the Islamic State and had propaganda materials, which were seized for analysis. The police currently estimate that they have not planned to carry out a terrorist attack.

Among the three other members of the group, aged 48, 45 and 35, two were not involved in freight transport. They alternated between small jobs in oriental product stores.