GUARDIA CIVIL ARREST SUSPECTED TERRORIST IN ALICANTE

News

Kevin Reardon / 2010-08-30 18:17:02

The Guardia Civil have arrested a man for his alleged relationship with groups associated with Islamic terrorism.

The Guardia Civil have arrested a man for his alleged relationship with groups associated with Islamic terrorism. The arrest took place at midday on Friday in Poble Nou de Benitachell (Alicante) as part of an operation run by Criminal Investigation Court Number 2 of the Spanish Central Criminal Court.

The individual arrested, Faical Errai, is a 26-year-old Moroccan citizen resident in Spain who is accused of using the Internet to undertake activities in support of Jihadist terrorism.

According to investigations carried out by the Guardia Civil [Spanish Civil Guard], Faical Errai is allegedly the person who registered and paid for the hosting of an Internet website with explicitly Jihadist content which, besides being set up as a platform for the spread of propaganda material, is aimed at attracting, indoctrinating and recruiting sympathisers in order to ultimately promote the most extreme and violent interpretation of the Jihad.

Furthermore, the man in question could have acted as the facilitator on transit routes for possible Jihadists to areas of conflict (Waziristan, Afghanistan, Chechnya, etc.), and as a coordinator for the dispatch of volunteers to those same areas. Similarly, Faical Errai would have performed a supporting role in the collection of funds to help both the volunteers travel and finance the propaganda activity itself, all in favour of the "Global Jihad Movement".

Following the arrest, the Guardia Civil carried out a search of two homes and one rural property, during which several computers and electromagnetic data storage devices were seized. The material seized is now being examined by the officers in charge of the investigation, so the possibility of further action has not been discarded.

Latest technology and international collaboration

In order to undertake this investigation, it was necessary for the Guardia Civil to implement cutting-edge innovative IT tools, which have enabled the successful conclusion of a new challenge consisting of the investigation of someone with advanced IT skills, in-depth knowledge of the possibilities offered by the Internet and who makes use of those possibilities with a certain degree of skill.

Furthermore, during the investigation, the Guardia Civil also collaborated and exchanged information at both police and judicial levels with various police authorities in other countries, including Belgium, the United States, France, Jordan and Morocco.

The individual arrested is expected to be passed over to the judicial authorities at the start of next week.