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The Guardia Civil has arrested a Moroccan man in Ceuta after discovering he was living in the city despite being banned from entering Spain altogether.

 

Officers picked him up last week during a routine checkpoint in the port area. He'd been riding a motorbike when police stopped him and ran an identity check, which is when they discovered he wasn't supposed to be in the country at all.

 

The man had been convicted a couple of years ago, in 2022 or 2023, of terrorist indoctrination and was deported back to Morocco as a result. Alongside the deportation came a ban from re-entering Spain, but that didn't stop him finding a way back in.

 

He's believed to have taken advantage of the chaos at the end of July, when Ceuta saw a huge influx of people arriving all at once, slipping into the city unnoticed among the crowds. He'd reportedly been staying at a residence in Ceuta ever since, until the Guardia Civil eventually caught up with him.

 

Once his entry ban was confirmed, he was expelled to Morocco again. Sources close to the case confirmed what had happened to the local press, although the Guardia Civil hasn't made any official statement on the matter.

 

This latest arrest is part of a much wider operation that's been underway since the end of July, with both the National Police and the Guardia Civil stepping up their intelligence work to figure out exactly who came into Ceuta during the mass crossing and whether any of them had criminal records, outstanding warrants or entry bans hanging over them.

 

Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska confirmed on August 13 that security forces were keeping a close eye on everyone who'd entered Ceuta during the crisis. He explained that officials were monitoring all those who had entered the city and said there was ongoing contact with other intelligence agencies to help spot anyone who might be under investigation for possible links to terrorism.

 

 

Image: Youtryandyoutry via Wikimedia Commons