Spain arrests a Moroccan man suspected of planning terror attacks during the lockdown

Working with the FBI and the Moroccan intelligence officers, Spanish police have arrested a «profoundly radicalized» Moroccan who was plotting attacks targeting Barcelona during the country’s strict coronavirus lockdown.

Quoting the Guardia Civil, the Guardian reports that the Moroccan citizen was arrested, Friday, in the Catalan capital as part of the surveillance operation. In a statement, police said that the suspect has reportedly been in contact with ISIS for at least four years, adding that he managed to keep a low profile both offline and online.

However, police have recently noticed a «change» in his behavior, especially after the country declared a state of emergency to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus.

According to the same source, investigators «became concerned that he was preparing to respond to ISIS calls to carry out attacks in the western countries».

«The arrested man had used social media to proclaim his loyalty to Isis and his hatred for the west. Surveillance officers noticed that he had begun to disregard the lockdown rules set out in the state of emergency on a regular basis, and that he was taking important security measures as he ventured around Barcelona, suggesting he was carrying out a possible search for targets», police statement read.

The Moroccan man became influence by the terrorist group’s propaganda and sworn loyalty to it.