8 arrested in anti-jihad raids in Spain

Spanish security forces made a further eight arrests in a series of raids carried out against a suspected jihadist cell on Friday morning.

Those detained in an operation which remains "open" are suspected of spreading pro-jihadist propaganda and recruiting for the Islamic State.

The Spanish Interior Ministry confirmed in a statement: "they incited others to commit terrorist acts in Spain and selected candidates to send to Syria and Iraq."

The operation took place in Barcelona, L'Hospitalet, Manileu, Piera, Terrasa, Malgrat de Mar and Figueras in the Catalan region in the north-east of Spain, as well as Ciudad Real in the central zone of Castilla-La Mancha and Avila, which is to the north of Madrid.

All eight of those arrested are Spanish nationals, although five are reported to be of "Moroccan" origin. They were acting in a similar manner to other suspected jihadist operators arrested in Spain over the past months.

"They were following the same modus operandi of the attacks carried out in other countries and were selecting candidates to Syria and Iraq via contacts provided by their parent organization (the Islamic State)," confirms the Interior Ministry.

This operation follows the arrest of a further two jihadist suspects in the Spanish North-African enclave of Ceuta on Tuesday, with the difference that those detained earlier this week are thought to have been preparing for an attack on the Spanish mainland rather than being merely involved in recruitment. Endit