Spain : Two Moroccan nationals admit they were members of a terrorist group

Two Moroccan nationals have admitted in front of a Spanish court that they have been part of a local terrorist cell affiliated to ISIS, EFE said yesterday. The two men were particularly operating through social media, looking for potential recruits.

Abdelillah Migou and Anouar Merabet were facing respectively 9 and 11 years in prison. The second one was also involved in a drug trafficking case. Their sentences were revised during the trial at the National Hearing after the two men acknowledged the deeds they were accused of. They were sentenced to 4 and 5 years in prison. However, they will be expelled from the Spanish territory for ten years.

Specifically, they admitted having been in direct contact with about twenty jihadists living in Syria. They also admitted that they tried to indoctrinate potential recruits through social media, including Facebook.

Anouar Merabet, who acted as a «sheikh», «appeared on social media as a charismatic leader» and had become friends via Facebook with 11 members of the organization «Islamic State», all forming a «katiba» (group of fighters) in Syria.