Islamic extremist arrested in Altea
Alleged terrorist recruiter claimed Covid is a ‘ punishment’ for the West
A TRUSTED member of the terror group Islamic State used a Costa Blanca home and the dark web to radicalise and recruit young people across Europe, it was alleged this week.
The 50yearold Moroccan was arrested in Altea during a joint security operation between Guardia Civil officers and Europol.
According to the police, the unnamed suspect ‘ devoted’ much of his time to searching, editing, commenting, and spreading IS propaganda – targeting young people via social media before directing them to his secret websites on the internet. Detectives discovered the Islamic extremist even claimed the worldwide Covid19 pandemic was a ‘ punishment’ against the West.
The suspect has been remanded in custody after an initial court appearance; a second man, alleged to be radicalised by the recruiting officer, was released after giving a ‘ satisfactory’ explanation of his activities to the authorities.
Radicalisation of potential fighters and recruiting them for service in conflict zones or for terrorist attacks in Europe is seen as ‘ one of the main threats’ to international security.
A Guardia Civil spokesman said the combined operation by Spanish officers and units of Europol detected the suspect’s internet campaign to attract young people to his extremist cause and radicalise them.
He said the Moroccan citizen lived ‘ irregularly’ in Spain was a selfconfessed IS militant and used a number of continuous security measures to avoid his illicit activity being discovered.
The recruiting officer identified possible sympathisers on social networks before using private messages to direct them to his hidden propaganda.
The spokesman said: “This
radicalisation of other people was practiced daily from his home and it is considered he was virtually integrated into the terrorist group – this role is considered as important as actually fighting in conflict zones or carrying out attacks in western countries.
“The suspect shared the violent vision of IS and tried to share and disseminate it among the people he was addressing
He added: “The early detection of the radicalisation processes of people under the influence of IS recruiters, both physically and virtually, is currently one of the biggest challenges facing security forces due to the risk it may generate for the safety of the citizens of Spain.” directly and privately.”