(AFP) Police said Tuesday they had arrested an 18-year-old Spaniard of Moroccan origin who had engaged in “intensive (online) efforts to encourage terrorism” and had ties with other radical jihadists abroad.
The youth was arrested in Barcelona on March 16 on suspicion of links to the Islamic State (IS) group, with a Guardia Civil police statement indicating he had “extensive connections” with other extremists in Asia, Europe and North America.
Police began investigating the teenager, who lived at home with his parents and siblings in Barcelona, early last year after noticing he was “using encrypted instant messaging platforms to express support for IS” and engaging in an “intense propaganda effort to encourage terrorism.”
