Spanish civil guards detain suspect for spreading IS propaganda

The Spanish Civil Guard confirmed on Wednesday the arrest of a man in the La Rioja region of northern Spain for activities related to the Islamic State(IS).

The detainee, a Moroccan national with the initials A.B, was arrested in the town of Calahorra 24 hours after the arrests of two other Moroccans on the island of Ibiza for spreading IS propaganda and the glorification of terrorist acts.

A communique issued by Spain's Interior Ministry explains A.B "directly" participated in activities related to praising IS and the distribution of IS propaganda.

The ministry says the suspect had previously lived in the Navarre's city of Pamplona and had become more careful about the way he carried out his daily activities in "an attempt to pass unnoticed and without doubt, as a result of his suspicions that he was under some kind of police surveillance."

A.B "suddenly and by surprise" changed his residence from Pamplona to Calahorra where he "carried out activities supporting the different terrorist groups which operate in the conflict zones of Syria and Iraq, principally IS," the ministry said.

Investigators highlighted the "explicit support" he gave for the November 2015 attacks in Paris and for Muslims who travel to Syria and Iraq to join the ranks of IS.

Authorities also said the profile of the detainee was similar to that of others arrested on similar charges: "people who are apparently integrated in the community who, after a process of radicalization, embrace the beliefs of IS and become individuals who are potentially dangerous to national security."

There have now been 157 arrests of suspected jihadists in Spain since June 26, 2015, when the country established a level four (high risk) alert against the threat of a possible terrorist attack in the wake of attacks in France, Tunisia, and Somalia, among other countries. Endit