A coordinated Moroccan-Spanish operation has dismantled a three-member ISIS-linked terror cell active between Morocco and Spain. Arrests were made in Tangier and Mallorca as part of ongoing counterterrorism efforts.
The Central Bureau of Judicial Investigation (BCIJ), under Morocco’s General Directorate for Territorial Surveillance (DGST), coordinated with Spain’s General Commissariat of Information (CGI) to carry out simultaneous raids on Wednesday morning.
According to BCIJ, the operation is part of ongoing joint investigations aimed at neutralizing terrorist threats and dismantling extremist networks targeting both countries.
Field interventions led to the arrest of two suspects in Tangier by Moroccan security forces, while Spanish authorities apprehended the cell’s leader in Mallorca.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the Moroccan suspects were involved in financing and providing logistical support to ISIS fighters in the Sahel region and Somalia. The Spanish leader is suspected of planning a terrorist attack in Spain using “lone-wolf” tactics.
The Moroccan suspects are now in custody under judicial supervision, with the investigation overseen by the public prosecutor specializing in terrorism cases. Authorities aim to uncover the full scope of the network and its national and regional connections.
This operation highlights the long-standing security partnership between Morocco and Spain. Since 2014, joint efforts have dismantled more than 30 terrorist cells across the two countries, preventing major attacks and neutralizing serious threats to national security.
The successful dismantling of this ISIS-linked cell underscores the effectiveness of cross-border counterterrorism cooperation. Moroccan and Spanish authorities continue to work closely to monitor and disrupt extremist networks threatening both nations.
