‘Strategic Partner’: Spanish Interior Minister Hails Cooperation with Morocco in Fight against Terrorism

Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska on Tuesday hailed the cooperation of Morocco in the fight against terrorism, calling the Kingdom a “strategic partner” in this field. “Morocco is an absolutely strategic partner in the fight against terrorist cells,” stressed the Spanish minister, in statements to the press, following the dismantling of a terrorist cell allegedly linked to so-called Islamic State, thanks to cooperation between the security services of both countries. Grande-Marlaska said that cooperation between Morocco and Spain “has allowed us to dismantle dangerous jihadist networks.” In this sense, the Spanish official highlighted “the effectiveness” and “the firmness” of joint actions to move forward in the fight against terrorism, welcoming the tangible results achieved in this area. The Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations (BCIJ) under the Directorate General of Territorial Surveillance (DGST) has succeeded this Tuesday, in a joint and simultaneous security operation with the General Intelligence Station of the Spanish National Police, to dismantle a terrorist cell operating in Nador and Melilia, allegedly linked to so-called Islamic State. The security interventions conducted by the elements of the Special Force of the DGST have allowed the arrest of two individuals in the city of Nador, while the competent Spanish authorities have arrested nine other members operating in the same terrorist cell in the city of Melilia, said the BCIJ in a statement.