Spanish law enforcement agencies are searching for jihadists who may have reached Ceuta along with thousands of Moroccans and citizens of other countries. The situation in the Spanish exclave remains tense.
Spanish police and gendarmerie officers are searching for people in Ceuta linked to international terrorism. They are believed to have entered the Spanish exclave in North Africa along with 72,000 illegal migrants - Moroccans and citizens of other countries, who crossed the Moroccan-Spanish border at the end of July.
The police told DW that if the wanted individuals manage to reach Europe, they could pose an extreme danger to both Spain and other European countries.
What the surveillance cameras show
The surveillance cameras in Ceuta, whose recordings are being studied by the police, have captured at least ten people among the crowds of migrants who are on the list of international terrorists. These are primarily Moroccans who have already been tried in Spain and other EU countries for terrorist crimes, served their sentences and then been deported. In addition, the cameras have captured wanted persons who have so far managed to evade justice.
The police remind that in Spain, migrants are arrested every month on suspicion of belonging to extremist groups that are engaged in recruiting fighters for jihad, collecting funds for these fighters, propagating radical ideas among Muslim youth, etc. Sometimes the police also manage to uncover people involved in preparing terrorist acts in Spain itself. The danger is real: in 2004, almost 200 people fell victim to a terrorist act by jihadists in Madrid, and 2,000 were injured. In 2017, 16 local residents were killed and 140 injured at the hands of jihadists in Barcelona.
How many illegal refugees remain in Ceuta?
“The people wanted by the police may be only a small part of the danger posed by the migrant influx into Ceuta,” political scientist Pablo Diez told DW. Although the majority of those who entered have left the exclave, according to local authorities, around 11,000-12,000 remain there and do not seem to plan to return home. Some of them have relatives and acquaintances in Ceuta. The law prohibits group deportation and requires that each illegal refugee's case be examined individually - to determine how justified their desire to remain in Spain is by their life circumstances.
“No one knows whether there are jihadists among the remaining people or simply people with radical views ready to join the jihad,” the expert continues. But there are reasons to assume that there are. Many of those who invaded Ceuta are from the Moroccan city of Fnidek, located just seven kilometers away and considered one of the main centers of radicalism - not only in Morocco, but in the entire Maghreb, Dies adds.
The Somali connections of Moroccan jihadists
„It is no secret that a third of these 1,200 Moroccan fighters who once went to Syria and Iraq to fight for the terrorist organization „Islamic State„ (IS), originate from Fnidek. One of them - Mohamed Hamadouch - is known to have liked to take pictures with the severed heads of his victims,„ the Spanish political scientist told DW.
According to him, currently „the center of world jihadism has become a territory called Puntland in East Africa„. And there are quite a few Moroccans among the supporters of IS in Somalia, including from Fnidek.
The expert believes that although Puntland is far away, the danger emanating from there is quite real. Since it is a real “terrorist hub”, from where fighters who have received the appropriate training can infiltrate any country in the world. As for Ceuta, jihadists from the Sahel - from Mali or Nigeria - could also have ended up there. Hundreds of representatives of these countries have infiltrated the city, mixing with Moroccans.
Ceuta remains restless
“The crime situation in Ceuta is not improving”, Dies emphasized to DW. Despite increased patrols, the police have failed to prevent fighting and even shootings between groups of migrants, attacks on passersby, looting of shops and harassment of women. At the same time, the emergency rooms are full: someone has spread the rumor that the Spanish will not deport injured people to Morocco. Therefore, many migrants inflict them themselves, then seek help.
Meanwhile, Moroccan Justice Minister Abdellatif Waabi said that his country could stop all actions to prevent migrants from entering Spain and denounce the extradition agreement that exists between the two countries. He complained that any fight by Morocco against illegal migration is in vain, since Spain accepts everyone - people know this and there is no way to stop them.
Commenting on the minister's words, Diez noted that "there is logic in them". For example, Spain recently launched a campaign to legalize 1.2 million illegal migrants. This action by the left-wing coalition government caused bewilderment not only among the Moroccan authorities, but also throughout Spain, as well as in the EU, which is trying to limit the flow of illegal migrants.