An Italian intelligence dossier warns of a “concrete” risk of Islamic terrorism in Ceuta following the recent illegal migrant invasion of the Spanish exclave.
The Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reports that it obtained a copy of the dossier. The document, which reportedly contains information shared by Spanish intelligence officials in recent hours, warns that mass migration in the area could turn Ceuta into a hub for “radicalization and jihadist recruitment.”
Per Corriere, the dossier stresses that that there is “explicit documentation” detailing the recruitment and radicalization of terrorists lurking behind mass migration events, with “dozens” of individuals from the region having previously left to fight in Syria and Iraq. The warning reportedly expressed by Italy’s intelligence service comes days after unnamed Spanish law enforcement sources affirmed to El Español that “at least ten” individuals convicted on jihadism charges and expelled from Spain in the past were detected among the tens of thousands of illegal migrants that swarmed Ceuta between late July and early August.
Corriere della Sera also reported the Italian intelligence dossier warns of the possibility of a new migrant invasion that could occur in Ceuta on August 15 — echoing similar warnings espoused by Spain’s Civil Guard last week.
Much like Spain’s Civil Guard, Italy’s intelligence services are reportedly monitoring chats on messaging platforms and social media posts spreading the word of a potential new migrant invasion of Ceuta with “various points of departure.”
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Italian intelligence officials reportedly affirmed that, for the time being, this orchestration cannot be attributed to any specific actor. The campaign, however, is reportedly mainly driven by TikTok users and individuals managing multiple chat groups using Moroccan phone. numbers to send messages on WhatsApp and Facebook. According to the dossier, the individuals presumptively organizing the potential new invasion’s messaging campaigns are also using phone numbers from various countries such as the U.S., Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Senegal.
Although the potential event might occur on Saturday, August 15, Corriere noted the dossier does not rule out the possibility the date could be brought forward.
“Let’s strike on the 10th, not the 11th. There are demonstrations on the 9th,” one such message cited by the dossier reportedly reads. Sunday, August 9 saw thousands of residents of Ceuta, government officials, and representatives of the main religious communities living in the exclave rally together in a peaceful demonstration demanding that Spain and the E.U. take all necessary measures to prevent a new invasion of the city.
The security and terrorist risks stemming from the recent massive migrant invasion of Ceuta and the potential of a new invasion in the coming days were cited by the office of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Friday as reasons to uphold its temporary suspension of the Schengen open borders agreement with Spain — imposing border controls on Spanish travelers by sea or air.
Spain’s socialist government, led by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez responded to Italy’s decision by imposing retaliatory border control checks on Italian travelers — further escalating the spat between Meloni and Sánchez.
Meloni emphatically stated on Friday that “Italy does not accept ultimatums or impositions from abroad about national security and border control,” and reiterated that Italy will only review its decision after August 15. The Italian Prime Minister said that the border controls with Spain will be lifted “only when we are certain that there will be no security or terrorist risks for Italy, that there will be no new wave, and that there are no irregular migrants heading towards European territory.”