SPAIN/CT: THREE ALLEGED MEMBERS OF AL-QAEDA IN THE

C O N F I D E N T I A L MADRID 001272 SIPDIS C O R R E C T E D C O P Y - CLASSIFIED BY SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/27/2017 TAGS: PTER PREL PGOV SP SUBJECT: SPAIN/CT: THREE ALLEGED MEMBERS OF AL-QAEDA IN THE ISLAMIC MAGHREB ARRESTED IN BARCELONA Classified by: DCM Hugo Llorens for reasons 1.4 b & d. ¶1. (SBU) The Spanish National Police on June 26 arrested three young Moroccans in Barcelona suspected of having links to the terrorist group Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). Press reports suggest that their objective was to recruit and indoctrinate young Muslim extremists and facilitate their travel to terrorist training camps in the Sahel region of northern Africa. Some suicide bombers in Iraq were reportedly trained in this area. The investigation that nabbed the three individuals began in December 2005, when Morocco dismantled a terrorist cell that had branches in Spain and close links with Salafist terrorist groups, and Rabat had reportedly put out international arrest warrants for the individuals. The three alleged AQIM members are: Muhammad Laksir, 23, Moulay Lahoucine Miftah Idrissi, 27, and Muhammad Akazim, 32. ¶2. (C) Comment. This case appears to be different from recent Spanish law enforcement arrests of suspected Islamic extremists due to the length of the investigation and the close cooperation between Spanish and Moroccan authorities. In addition, these alleged terrorists appear to have real ties to AQIM, which would be different than other terrorist recruiters and facilitators arrested in Spain who had looser or no formal ties to Al-Qaeda. These most recent arrests represent yet another indication of the important terrorist hub that Barcelona has become. Post will report further on this case as events develop. AGUIRRE