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Rabat – The trials of Alias Ismail, an Algerian affiliated with separatist militia Polisario and pro-ISIS extremist, began on May 23 in Madrid, Spain.
Arrested in March 2022, Ismail is accused of acts of terrorism and of sharing “jihadist propaganda” on social media.
The arrest and trial of the extremist is the result of close anti-terrorism cooperation between Spanish security forces and the Moroccan DGST (General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance).
The successful arrest operation further underscores the importance of Morocco’s role in global counterterrorism efforts.
The Spanish prosecutor is demanding a heavy prison sentence of four and a half years for the suspect.
The defendant had connections with the Polisario Front, an armed group that many international observers consider a threat to regional stability. The suspect was also linked to Adnane Abou al-Walid Sahraoui, the former emir of the “Islamic State in the Greater Sahara” (EIGS), who was killed in 2021 in a US counter-terrorism operation in the Sahel.
The case of this extremist, which has been extensively covered by the Spanish press, is linked to the trial of another accomplice that is taking place in another European country.
The Ismail trial is not the first for a Polisario member. Over the years, members of the separatist group have been linked to terrorist groups operating in the Sahel region.
In October 2022, petitioners at the UN voiced their concerns over the security threats that the Polisario Front poses to the Sahel region, pointing out the lack of intervention from the international community.
Abdoul Latif Aidara from the African Center for Strategic Intelligence emphasized the Polisario’s association with criminal activities and links to terrorist groups, stating that the group is “well known for criminal activities and ties to terrorist groups.”
Eric Cameron, a member of World Action for Refugees, echoed these concerns and drew attention to the situation of children in the Polisario-run Tindouf camps in Algeria. The Polisario Front has faced accusations of recruiting children into its military forces, which Cameron stressed to be a “danger to North Africa and the entire Sahel region.”
Polisario’s activities are especially worrying in the Sahel, given that the region is highly exposed to terrorism threats from groups such as ISIS and Al Qaeda.
Global terrorism deaths have seen a significant impact in sub-Saharan Africa, accounting for 48% of the total in 2021 alone. Over the past 15 years, terrorist threats have claimed the lives of 30,000 individuals.
Read Also: European MP Calls to Counter Polisario’s “Terrorist Threat”
