MADRID (Sputnik) — The Civil Guard arrested two Moroccan teenagers in Barcelona’s northern suburbs allegedly planning to join the Islamic State jihadist group in Syria, along with their parents, who are suspected of helping the teens become radicals, according to a statement of the Spanish Ministry of the Interior.
“The four arrested in Badalona (Barcelona) for connections with a jihadists network sending militants to Syria are two brothers under 16 years old and their parents, all of Moroccan nationality,” the statement, published on Tuesday, said.
Relatives of the detainees allegedly endorsed their plans to join the Islamic State. According to the statement, the teenagers earlier left their academic training in Badalona to study at an Islamic center in Tetouan (Morocco).
On March 13, Spanish police detained eight members of a jihadist cell, who were helping to select people to be sent to Syria and Iraq and inciting violent extremism during an anti-terrorist operation across the country.
The Islamic State jihadist group operating in Syria and Iraq is actively recruiting foreigners to join its ranks.
Authorities in Spain estimate around 100 Spanish people have joined jihadist fighters in Iraq and Syria.
According to the Moroccan Interior Minister, about 1,500 and 2,000 Moroccans are fighting or have fought in the ranks of jihadist organizations such as ISIL.
