Declassified documents indicate that Spanish intelligence repeatedly warned the authorities about preparations for a mass border crossing from Morocco into Ceuta even before the migration crisis began. The released materials may cast doubt on Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s statements regarding how far in advance the government knew about the threat, AP reports, according to UNN.
Details
The Spanish government released about 40 documents, including intelligence reports, warnings, diagrams, and messages from law enforcement and special services.
On July 29, a day before the mass border crossing began, Spain’s National Intelligence Centre (CNI) warned government representatives in Ceuta about calls on social media to “storm the fence and the sea” the following day at 8:00 p.m.
Intelligence knew the scale of the preparations
One of the declassified CNI messages stated that the 2 groups through which the relevant calls were being disseminated had a total of about 180,000 followers.
Spanish intelligence also passed the information to the Moroccan special services. According to its information, migrants were urged to enter Ceuta on July 30 by climbing over the border fence or swimming around it. Spain’s Civil Guard also received similar warnings.
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The following day, people began crossing the border en masse. In total, more than 72,000 migrants headed toward Ceuta.
An intelligence report by Spain’s Defence Ministry that day also referred to the passivity of Moroccan forces. The authors of the document did not rule out that Morocco might use the crisis in Ceuta to advance its own strategic interests.
The release of the secret documents came amid criticism of the Sánchez government over its response to the crisis and mass protests in Spain.
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