Advertisement

Two jihadists arrested in Ceuta planning attacks

Fiona Govan
Fiona Govan - [email protected]
Two jihadists arrested in Ceuta planning attacks
A photo of a man holding up a gun: Shutterstock"

Police have arrested two jihadists in the north African enclave of Ceuta who they suspect formed part of a cell poised to launch a terrorist attack in Spain.

Advertisement

The two were detained during a pre-dawn raid and were of Spanish nationality but with Moroccan origins.

A statement released by the Interior Ministry said the arrests were part of an ongoing anti-terrorist operation that saw four members of the same jihadist cell arrested in January.

Those held on Tuesday morning “formed part of a terrorist cell that was fully prepared and ready to attack on national territory,” said the statement.

The arrests in January were of two pairs of brothers who authorities described as “radicalized” and fitting a similar profile to that of the Kouachi brothers, who were responsible for carrying out the attack on Charlie Hebdo offices in Paris.

 

 

 

Mohamed Al Lal, and his brother Farid and another pair of brothers, Anuar and Radouan Alli Amzar, are thought to have been part of a terrorist cell, which was planning attacks in Spain.

In those January raids, police seized an automatic pistol, machetes and military uniforms. The government said those four suspects were highly trained and disposed to launch attacks in Spain.

Tuesday's statement said the two latest suspects were thought to be members of the same cell as the other four.

A coastal city fenced off from northern Morocco, Ceuta has one of Europe's only two land borders with Africa, along with another Spanish territory, Melilla, to the east.

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also