One was the alleged master. The other, his disciple. On August 14, police arrested two twenty-somethings of Moroccan origin in the town of Vallfogona de Balaguer (Lleida, population 2,000) for their alleged involvement in crimes of jihadist self-indoctrination, proselytism, and terrorist collaboration for consuming and disseminating highly violent Islamic State (ISIS) material on social media, the Ministry of the Interior reported on Monday. The alleged intention of one of the detainees—who had already been imprisoned years ago in the Maghreb country for similar crimes—to travel to a conflict zone to join the ranks of the terrorist organization precipitated the operation, according to sources close to the investigation. National Court Judge Francisco de Jorge ordered their imprisonment and released the second on bail.
The latest annual National Security report, approved last April, warned specifically about the “reactivation” of the so-called foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs) , whose main destination now, following the end of the self-proclaimed caliphate of Syria and Iraq, is the African Sahel region, where ISIS is strongly present . Since 2015, 282 suspected jihadists have fled Spain, a relatively low figure compared to other countries such as France, with nearly 2,000; Germany, with more than 1,000; and Belgium, with over 500. Of these, 113 are suspected of still being abroad, 65 have returned, and 104 have died, according to the same official report. Their return is classified as “a significant risk” due to their intense radicalization and their “capacity to plan and implement actions of greater terrorist significance” after having acquired knowledge in handling weapons and explosives.
The investigation that has now led to the arrest of the alleged aspiring foreign terrorist fighter and his alleged disciple began a year and a half ago, when counterterrorism specialists detected the former’s intense online activity, disseminating particularly violent Islamic State material through numerous social media profiles , accompanied by radical proclamations. The investigations by the General Intelligence Commission (CGI), with the collaboration of the provincial brigades of Lleida, Tarragona, and Barcelona, led to this 26-year-old man who, according to information provided by the General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance (DGST), the Moroccan domestic intelligence service, had already been in prison in his country for similar activities.
The investigation revealed that, after being released in Morocco, he entered Melilla illegally approximately two years ago and, from there, moved to the Iberian Peninsula, where he eventually settled in the Lleida town where he was finally arrested. There, according to the sources consulted, he sought shelter with members of his own nationality and began taking on odd jobs buying and selling used clothing to survive, as he did not have a residence permit. According to the Ministry of the Interior, he already displayed “a high level of radicalization” and “systematically and continuously” accessed websites with jihadist material, which he consumed for a long time.
Furthermore, the now-arrested suspect allegedly engaged in “recruitment, indoctrination, and self-training for the commission of terrorist attacks” against third parties. Among them was the other suspect, a 24-year-old resident of the same town who had allegedly been involved in petty crime. During a search of the homes occupied by each of them last Thursday, officers seized several computer devices containing ISIS propaganda. Furthermore, the device belonging to the main suspect contained conversations with alleged Islamic State fighters deployed in conflict zones.
So far this year, security forces have arrested 83 suspected jihadists in Spain , surpassing the number of those arrested in 2024, which was 81. If this pace continues, the year could end with more than 100 arrests, figures not recorded since 2004, when the 11-M attacks took place and 131 suspected jihadists were arrested. This marked upward trend in the number of anti-jihadist operations began in October 2023, when the outbreak of war in Gaza following Hamas terrorist attacks and Israel’s military response forced Fernando Grande-Marlaska’s department to accelerate many of its ongoing investigations into suspects of radical Islamist activities, fearing that the conflict would push them to commit attacks.
