Doha – Spanish authorities have arrested four Moroccan-born minors in Elche, Alicante, on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack at the Santa Maria Basilica. The arrests were carried out by the National Police’s General Information Commission (CGI) on December 19, 2024.
According to Spanish media, which reported on the case on December 31, one of the suspects was arrested at his high school during class hours by plainclothes officers. The suspects, aged between 14 and 17, were residents of Elche despite being born in Morocco.
The Spanish National Court ordered the detention of all four minors at the Teresa de Calcuta Center in Madrid, a specialized facility for terrorism-related cases. The judge has placed the case under judicial secrecy.
During searches of several properties in Elche, investigators seized computers and mobile phones. Police sources indicate the suspects had been communicating with jihadist cells through social media platforms.
Among the evidence collected was a drawing of a tower, which investigators believe could represent their intended target during the Christmas holiday period.
Law enforcement officials expedited the operation due to concerns the suspects might carry out attacks during the holiday season when crowds gather in streets and leisure areas. The Santa Maria Basilica was reportedly not the only potential target in the Mediterranean coastal region.
Under Spain’s juvenile law, the suspects face potential sentences of up to five years in a juvenile detention center if convicted, with an additional three years of supervised release. For 17-year-old suspects, the maximum detention period increases to eight years.
Spanish security forces report an increasing trend of radicalized minors, particularly among 14 and 15-year-olds.
The CGI experts describe typical profiles as second-generation youth with “incomplete maturation” and extensive social media use, where they connect with peers and consume propaganda that heightens their “victimization against a state they perceive as unjust to Muslims.”
The case remains under investigation as authorities work to determine whether the suspects had plans for additional attacks during the holiday season.
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