Spain smashes jihadist ring operating in 17 jails

MADRID, Spain — Police in Spain dismantle a group that allegedly indoctrinated and recruited jihadists at 17 prisons across the country, the interior ministry says.

Police have questioned 25 prisoners in different jails who are “accused of being part of a group close to Daesh which was dedicated to radicalizing other prisoners,” the ministry says in a statement, using an Arabic acronym for the Islamic State (IS) group.

The majority were Moroccans or Spanish nationals of Moroccan origin, a Spanish anti-terrorism source tells AFP. The rest were Spanish nationals who had converted to Islam and a Danish national.

The ring, which was made up of prisoners with a history of jihadism or who were themselves radicalized while behind bars, also sought to unite prisoners serving time for terrorist crimes in a so-called “Prison Front.”

The ministry does not give details of the group’s activities but the anti-terrorism source says the ring did not have a “concrete plan” to carry out an attack. But it created a “belligerent state of mind towards prison staff.”

— AFP