DR ‹ › The strong counterterrorism partnership between Morocco and Spain has led to the arrest of 153 suspected jihadists in both countries since 2015. According to Spanish news agency EFE, citing Morocco's Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations (BCIJ), cooperation with Spain's General Commissariat for Information has helped dismantle more than 30 joint terrorist cells since the Moroccan agency was established in 2015. The latest joint operation, carried out on March 25, resulted in the arrest of two suspects in Tangier, while the alleged ringleader was apprehended in Mallorca. Rabat and Madrid maintain regular intelligence exchanges on «lone actors», terrorist cells, and foreign fighters. This cooperation has led to the arrest of 84 individuals in Spain and 69 in Morocco over the past decade. Those detained include Moroccans, Spaniards, and other nationalities, highlighting the transnational nature of the jihadist threat and the «effectiveness» of this bilateral cooperation, according to the BCIJ. The agency also pointed to several operations that helped thwart major attacks in Spain, including the dismantling of an ISIS-linked cell in 2017, which led to the arrest of five individuals in Morocco and one in Melilla. Moroccan authorities say they have no confirmed information on Spanish fighters within ISIS ranks in the Sahel or Somalia. They stress that the main threat linked to Spain comes from support networks involved in financing and recruitment. As for Moroccan jihadists in these regions, Rabat estimates their number at more than 100.
