"The investigation that led to this operation was launched by the General Information Bureau of the national police, with the collaboration of the General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance (DGST) of the Kingdom of Morocco and the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (EUROPOL)", said the Spanish police in a press release.
"The alleged head of this cell is a Moroccan national who has managed to attract and indoctrinate in his country several young people who had planned terrorist attacks in the Kingdom of Morocco and the United Arab Emirates, but who had been arrested during several operations carried out by the DGST ", said the same source.
"Following the location of this jihadist in Spain, his movements were monitored for over a year as part of a joint operation between the Moroccan security services and the General Information Bureau of the Spanish national police", the statement said, adding that the investigation had revealed that the individual was a follower of Abu Mohammed Al-Adnani, who, until his death, was the chief of ISIS foreign operations, as well as ISIS spokesman and chief official in Syria.
During his stay in Spain, the suspect resumed his activities of recruiting new members, gathering a group of supporters who have adhered to the Takfirist ideology, the most radical aspect of jihadism, noted the Spanish police.
He held indoctrination meetings at his home and even went with his disciples to parties in nearby towns, where they criticized, with extreme violence, Western customs showing hatred towards those who participated in them.
The alleged head of this cell recently and very frequently watched videos of martyrdom and the execution of attacks in Europe, such as the one against the French weekly Charlie Hebdo, said the press release, adding that he had recently expressed his hatred towards security forces and expressed its desire to attack them while on duty.
"These direct threats, which have intensified in recent weeks, as well as the instructions given by ISIS to its followers through various documents, precipitated the arrest of this individual and his supporters," concluded the Spanish police.