Rabat – A Spanish court on Monday gave a three-year prison sentence to a Moroccan national for terrorism recruitment and indoctrination charges.
The sentencing concerned a Moroccan man, Mohamed B., who was detained and sentenced in Grand Canary Islands for his terrorism charges.
Mohamed will serve a three-year prison sentence followed by four years of supervised release.
Quoting Spanish authorities, Radio Television Canaria reported that Mohamed B. had tried to join Daesh through social media contact with the intention of executing terrorist plans.
Following his arrest, Mohammed confessed to his wrongdoings and apologized for his actions.
“The truth is that I didn’t know what I was doing, I’ve been living in Catalonia for 32 years, I was working at night in Barcelona and the idea came to me to join groups online to pass the time,” he said.
Mohammed apologized for “everything,” thanking God “for entering prison to realize what is happening.”
Along with Mohammed, a Spanish convert to Islam, Franciso Jose CQ, was charged for planning a jihadist attack against the headquarters of the LBGTQ collective in Las Palmas in the Canary Islands.
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Spanish authorities discovered Jose’s terrorist affiliation with the help of Columbian police. In 2018, the Columbian authorities arrested Cuban Raul GS was charged with terrorism crimes. Raul was planning a jihadist attack against personnel of the American Embassy in Bogota as well as American tourists.
Earlier this month, the Spanish court found two men guilty of carrying out “massive” recruitment and indoctrination of young Moroccans, preparing them to join terrorist groups such as Daesh.
The suspects faced nine years in prison and eight years of supervision as well as a fine of €3,000 each.
Amid growing concerns over the presence of terrorist groups in Europe and the Sahel, Morocco has worked in coordination with neighboring countries to halt terrorist activities and indoctrination in the region through diplomatic and military means but also by promoting moderate Islam as a counter-narrative to extremist discourses.
