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Two brothers arrested in Spain, accused of financing ISIS

Xinhua, July 27, 2016 Adjust font size:

The Spanish police on Wednesday arrested two brothers in Spain's northeastern city of Girona, the region of Catalonia, the Spanish Interior Ministry reported on Wednesday.

The two brothers, aged 22 and 33, were accused of helping fund the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). It was the first time the Spanish police was able to trace remittances to ISIS.

The brothers, who are from Morocco and living in Girona, are charged with financing terrorism, collaboration with a terrorist group and indoctrination, sending money to the ISIS administrators operating under false identities.

The Ministry said that a third brother was involved but he is believed to have died in Syria, where he went along with his wife and two sons in order to join Daesh (IS). Despite his death, the brothers continued to provide financial aid to the group.

After the two brothers were arrested, the police has searched their places.

The Spanish newspaper El Pais reported last year on how Spain had become a financial hub for insurgents in Syria and Iraq. A network of 250 phone call centers, grocery stores and butcher shops would help transfer money to fund groups such as ISIS, al-Nusra Front or Al Qaeda.

Spain raised its anti-terrorist level alert to level 4 on June 26 and the authorities have reported that hundreds of young residents in Spain, especially Moroccans, have joined ISIS. Endit