Police unions raise alert in Ceuta after detecting more than ten profiles of interest for jihadism

The National Police has expelled from Ceuta three people with links to jihadist radicalism who were located after the massive entry registered on July 30 and 31. Information services keep checks open on those who remain in the city and police unions demand more resources to complete identifications.

Sources from the anti-terrorist fight have confirmed that the three profiles aroused the interest of specialized units due to their background or connections with radical environments. Vigilance began from the first hours of the crisis and has continued during the process of affiliation and background checks.

The Unified Police Union (SUP) raises the number of people identified with backgrounds, alerts or profiles of interest related to jihadism to over ten. This denomination encompasses different situations and activates additional checks, although it is far from proving by itself membership in a terrorist organization or the preparation of a violent action.

More controls and one hundred additional riot police

The SUP already demanded on August 4 that controls be intensified, considering the complete identification of those who had entered a "matter of national security." The union maintains that the simultaneous arrival of thousands of people prevented the usual individualized checks at the border and demands to know how many profiles are still under surveillance and what decisions have been made in each case.

Jupol has expressed its "maximum concern" about the possibility that some of the identified people had been previously expelled from Spain and returned during the massive entry. The union has also pointed out that beneficiaries of pardons granted by Mohamed VI could be among them, a possibility that the Interior has not publicly confirmed.

In parallel, the General Commissariat of Immigration and Borders has sent to the magistrate of the National Court María Tardón the report requested within the proceedings on what happened in Ceuta. The judge wants to determine if the entry was an action organized by a criminal group before deciding whether the National Court has jurisdiction to investigate the facts.

The information known about the document points to forecasting and coordination problems during the first hours of the crisis, despite the existence of previous signals about an increase in border pressure. The full report has not been made public and the investigation will still have to clarify what warnings each agency received, when they were communicated and how they reached those responsible for the operation.

Union complaints also extend to daily deployment. Currently, five groups of the Police Intervention Unit (UIP) operate in Ceuta, around 250 agents mostly displaced from other parts of Spain. Police representatives demand another hundred riot police to go from five to seven groups and alleviate a workload that they consider difficult to maintain.

The Government responds with reinforcements and gratuities

The new union demands coincide with the package approved this Tuesday by the Council of Ministers. The Government will allocate 90 million euros to reinforce security in Ceuta, within the royal decree-law endowed with 309 million to respond to the consequences of the crisis.

The item includes 7.1 million for extraordinary gratuities for the National Police and eight million for the Civil Guard. Another 74 million will cover the deployment of the Armed Forces, their transport, logistics and maintenance. The individual distribution of police incentives still needs to be finalized.

The Government's single command in Ceuta, Ángel Víctor Torres, has also announced the incorporation of more than 60 national police officers to accelerate affiliations and eleven officials specialized in processing asylum applications. The device seeks to complete identifications and check backgrounds using national and international databases.

Controls have accompanied the exit procedures. The Executive has counted 3,519 voluntary returns to Morocco between August 10 and 31 and 214 expulsions, including the three corresponding to profiles related to jihadist radicalism.

Police pressure coexists with the increase in certain criminal investigations. The Prosecutor's Office has registered 23 sexual assaults since the beginning of the crisis, nine of them with minor victims and five with penetration. Eight alleged perpetrators have been identified, while proceedings continue to clarify each case individually.

Jucil and Jupol demand that extraordinary reinforcements be converted into stable staff, with more vehicles, protective equipment, guaranteed rest, and legal and psychological assistance. They also ask for clear operational protocols and an urgent meeting with the Minister of Interior and the general directorates of the Police and the Civil Guard.

Both organizations will support the concentrations called this Wednesday for Ceuta Day, although they have limited their support to their "civic, peaceful and non-partisan" nature and have expressly rejected any violent, racist or discriminatory message.