Spanish Intelligence Warned of Ceuta Mass Crossing Plans Before Surge
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Spanish Intelligence Warned of Ceuta Mass Crossing Plans
Spanish intelligence services warned of social media calls for a mass migrant crossing into Ceuta the day before tens of thousands of people entered the territory, newly released government documents show.
Image source: Reuters
By Guy Hedgecoe
Reporting from Madrid
Published 4 minutes ago
On 29 July, Spain’s National Intelligence Service (CNI) told Moroccan and Ceuta authorities that social media groups were encouraging migrants to cross the following day.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has insisted that the events of 30 July were impossible to predict, but opposition parties say the documents show the government misled Spaniards.
In a note on 29 July, the CNI reported to Moroccan intelligence it had identified WhatsApp and Facebook groups promoting an attempt by migrants to reach Ceuta the following day, both by swimming and climbing the border fence. The CNI estimated around 180,000 people were receiving these messages, with one message suggesting that authorities would be distracted on "Throne Day" (30 July) at 8 am.
These warnings were also communicated to Ceuta’s central government representation and the civil guard.
The messages are part of a tranche of over 40 security documents related to the Ceuta crossing that the Spanish government declassified after mounting pressure over Sánchez’s handling of the crisis. Earlier, a leaked police report seemed to implicate Moroccan police in the incident. However, Sánchez has denied any Moroccan complicity.
Opposition politicians criticized Sánchez for contradicting his earlier claim that there was no indication of such a large-scale crossing. "They had the information… and are directly responsible for the invasion of Ceuta and for those who died," said Ester Muñoz from the conservative People’s Party. Jorge Buxadé, from far-right party Vox, accused Sánchez and his government of "treason and security crimes" on social media.
The government maintains it acted on available information. Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares insisted he was "not aware of any report that might have foreseen the magnitude of what happened on 30 July."
