The National Police arrested a person in Melilla on Monday for alleged links to jihadist terrorism, as part of an operation coordinated by the National Police’s General Information Commissariat. This arrest brings the total number of people detained for the same reason in the autonomous city to nine since November 2024.
According to sources at the Superior Police Headquarters, the arrest occurred after an operation carried out by agents deployed from Madrid with the support of police officers in the autonomous city.
This is the fourth counter-terrorism operation carried out in Melilla so far in 2025, a year marked by particularly intense police activity against this type of threat.
The investigation, led by the National Court, has resulted in the arrest of the suspect, who was taken to police headquarters under heavy security. It is possible he may be transferred by air to Madrid in the coming hours to be brought before the competent central court.
PRECEDING OPERATIONS
The first operation of the year took place on January 29, when the National Police arrested two people. One of those arrested was remanded in custody by order of the National Court, while the other was released. Subsequently, on March 12, a second operation resulted in the arrest of another suspected jihadist.
The third operation took place on October 29th and resulted in the arrest of three brothers. Two of them were imprisoned, and the third, a minor, was released on bail.
The 2025 operations are in addition to those carried out at the end of the previous year. On November 19, 2024, Melilla was the scene of another counterterrorism operation that culminated in the arrest of a suspected jihadist and searches of two homes.
Just a month earlier, on October 22, National Police officers deployed from Madrid, along with the Melilla Provincial Information Brigade, arrested two other suspects – one of them a minor – after carrying out three house searches.
