Spanish Intelligence Warned of Ceuta Migrant Surge 24 Hours Before Border Breach
Spanish intelligence reports reveal authorities were warned of a mass migrant crossing into Ceuta a day before the border crisis unfolded in late July.
POLICY WIRE — Madrid, Spain — Spanish intelligence services alerted both the Madrid government and their Moroccan counterparts to an impending mass migrant crossing into the Spanish exclave of Ceuta just one day before the event occurred.
These revelations emerged from a collection of 40 intelligence alerts and communications that Prime Minister Sanchez committed to releasing publicly. The documents illustrate a mounting situation throughout the week leading up to the border breach.
An internal presentation from the defense ministry, released on the day of the incident, explicitly cautioned of impending migratory chaos. The report noted that approximately 1,700 migrants had already arrived and warned that further intrusions were anticipated.
The national intelligence agency had issued several warnings regarding a potential mass exodus from Morocco into the Spanish territory during late July. These alerts specifically highlighted social media campaigns calling for a border crossing, an event that ultimately resulted in more than 100 deaths and triggered a significant political crisis within Spain.
Furthermore, reports from Spanish media on Wednesday indicate that a police intelligence document alleges Moroccan security forces played a role in planning and directing the mass movement of people into Ceuta. The intelligence data confirms that authorities were aware of the plans before more than 70,000 individuals crossed into the North African Spanish territory.
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)
