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December 12, 2006
Spain: Eleven Islamists Arrested
News from AKI, Expatica, The Scotsman, EITB24, Think Spain, Typicaly Spanish, CBC, Associated Press, Fox News:
Today, at least 10 Spanish nationals and one Moroccan were arrested in pre-dawn raids in Ceuta, a Spanish enclave in North Africa. Forces sent from the Spanish mainland arrived by boat to conduct the raids, which were carried out in several parts of the city. Arrests took place in the Principe Alfonso, Principe Felipe, Los Rosales and Juan Carlos 1 districts, with about 300 members of the security forces taking part.
The interior minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba said on Spanish TV from a location in Algeria, which he is visiting: "It was an Islamic cell in the process of being formed, so they had no specific targets. But when we saw that they were moving from fanatic discussion to direct action we moved ahead to detain them."
Earlier in the year, an Islamist website posted a message, ostensibly from Al Qaeda, which said that the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, whch are on the North African coast beside Morocco, would be taken by force. Though the majority of the inhabitants of these two regions are Muslim, they have been under Spanish rule for centuries.
Those who were arrested are suspected members of the Moroccan Islamic Combat Group (Groupe Islamique Combattant Marocain or GICM). This group, which was placed on a list of proscribed groups by the UK government last year, is thought to have been involved with the bombings on Casablanca on May 16, 2003, which killed 45 people.
GICM emerged at the end of the 1990s, and seeks to establish an Islamist state in Morocco. The US Treasury froze GICM's assets on November 22, 2002. GICM is also thought to have been involved with the Madrid train bombings of March 11, 2004, in which 191 people were killed and 1,755 people were injured. This attack brought down the Jose Maria Aznar government and allowed the socialist Popular Party, led by Luis Rodriguez Zapatero to come to power. So far, 29 people have been charged in connection with the Madrid train attacks.
Among those arrested today were two brothers of Hamed Abderrahman Ahmed (pictured) who is known in Spain as the "Spanish Taliban". He was born in Ceuta in 1974. Early reports claimed that Hamed Abderrahman Ahmed himself had been among those detained, though these have since been refuted.
In 2001, Hamed Abderrahman Ahmed was captured in Pakistan, and was taken to Guantanamo. He was extradited to Spain in February 2004. On July 13, 2004, after being in detention for four and a half months, Spanish authorities released him on bail, taking into consideration his "experiences" at Guantanamo.
On Wednesday October 5 2005, Hamed Abderrahman Ahmed was sentenced in the National Court in Madrid to six years' jail, for being a member of Al Qaeda. He was freed on July 24 this year by orders of the Supreme Court, which ruled that there was "a total absence of proof that the defendant was a member of Islamic terrorist group Al Qaeda." Two days later, he said he was planning to sue the US government for compensation.
The arrests today were ordered by Spain's legendary anti-terrorist judge, Balthazar Garzon. The judge will be expected to personally interview the suspects over the coming days.
Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at December 12, 2006 10:32 AM
Comments
The arrests in Ceuta follow recent reports by experts on terrorism from the University of Granada about the very likely presence of Al-Qaida cells in several districts of Ceuta, while members of the Muslim community throughout Spain could also contain others.
In the article you mention there is something which is incorrect. The population of, both, Ceuta and Melilla, are majority Christian, even today.
Unfortunately, the socialist Government of Spain in the eighties followed a nationalization policy for immigrant Muslims in both cities, that entitled them to claim the Spanish nationality. Most of the arrested people holding Spanish passport did get their Spanish nationality in 1986. This policy, plus the lack of commitment to the defense of Spanish sovereignty over the two tiny African cities of Spain by the progressives here, is leading to a future change in the political landscape, and the possibility that a Muslim majority emerge in both, to the dismay of the Christian and Jews (plus Hindus) who live there.
As for Judge Garzón´s ordering the arrests, well, this is not very much known out of Spain, but he is a very contested figuere here. He is not usually credited in legal, political and media circles in Spain which much legal accuracy and professionalism. This has had terrible consequences for the prosecution in many cases, as he lead the investigations the wrong way, ordering arrests earlier than necessary to gather incriminatory evidences, and always concerned for his media exposure. It is very likely these guys have been arrested earlier than necessary in order to catch the whole organization and obtain all the information.
Posted by: Spanish diplomat ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.westernresistance.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at December 13, 2006 12:31 PM
Dear Spanish Diplomat -
Thank you very much for your input. Very enlightening. I am a little wary of Balthazar Garzon's "efficiency". It seems to be the case with "mavericks"that they are not always precise.
Posted by: Giraldus Cambrensis at December 13, 2006 6:39 PM
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