MADRID (PRESS TV) – Spanish authorities have arrested eight suspected members of a terrorist group during raids across the nation, says the country’s Ministry of Interior.
The arrests were made in Spain’s northeastern provinces of Barcelona and Girona, and the central areas of Avila and Ciudad Real, the ministry said in a statement on Friday.
The eight suspects are accused of encouraging attacks to be carried out in Spain, as well as recruiting people to fight alongside terrorists in the Middle East.
No further details were given regarding the arrests.
Spanish authorities have arrested dozens of people in recent years as part of efforts to stop young citizens from joining militants in Syria or Iraq.
On March 7, police detained a female Moroccan resident of Spain, Samira Yerou, in Barcelona on suspicion of playing a role in recruiting women to join the ISIL Takfiri terrorist group.
The US National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) said in an estimate on February 10 that more than 20,000 individuals from around the world, including some Americans, have traveled to Syria to join the ISIL and other extremist groups.
Foreign militants from over 90 countries, including at least 3,400 people from Western states and more than 150 Americans, have traveled to Syria to join the terrorist groups there, the NCTC added.
The ISIL militants control parts of Syria and Iraq, and have been carrying out horrific acts of violence such as public decapitations and crucifixions against all communities.
The return of the foreign terrorists to their home countries has triggered concern among the Western officials.