4 arrested in further joint Spanish-Moroccan anti-extremists operation

Four Moroccans were arrested in a joint operation carried out by Spanish and Moroccan police against extremists on Wednesday.

Two of the arrests took place in the Moroccan cities of Tetuan and Castillejos, while the other arrests were made in the Spanish north-African enclave of Ceuta and in the town of Altea, close to Alicante on the east coast of Spain.

A communique issued by the Spanish Minister of the Interior said the four are suspected of working "in direct collaboration and in a coordinated manner" with the Islamic State (Daesh).

The ministry added the four were highly radicalized and were dedicated to recruiting, indoctrinating and sending new fighters to join the ranks of Daesh in Syria and Iraq, adding they received instructions, logistic help and propaganda from the Syria/Iraq region.

The operation which led to the arrests began in 2014 and police believed that the pair detained in Spain were dedicated to finding new recruits. Meanwhile, those arrested made frequent visits to each other to determine their activities and to give mutual logistic support.

The arrests came just 24 hours after the arrest of two suspected extremists in the Spanish cities of Gijon and San Sebastian and meant that the past 20 days have seen five separate anti-extremism police operations carried out in Spain. Endit