Spanish Police Intelligence Accuses Morocco of Orchestrating Migrant Surge to Ceuta

A dramatic intelligence report from Spain's police force has revealed that Moroccan security forces planned and managed the mass influx of migrants into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. The report, submitted to a court, alleges that the operation was a deliberate move by Rabat to overwhelm Spanish border control systems and undermine their ability to respond, directly linking the surge to Morocco's territorial claims over Ceuta and the nearby enclave of Melilla.

According to the findings, Moroccan police agents, both in uniform and civilian attire, directed the crowds entering Spanish sovereign territory. This contradicts the initial narrative presented by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who had previously attributed the surge to external actors, including Russia and Israel, and suggested online campaigns by these entities aimed at destabilizing Europe.

Sánchez has faced internal political pressure, including a rare public criticism of King Felipe VI for his absence during the crisis. The Prime Minister acknowledged that around 5,000 migrants remained in Ceuta, a higher figure than previously reported, and described the situation as tense with violent clashes and arson. He stated that approximately 1,200 unaccompanied minors would be transferred to shelters, while most other migrants, deemed to have economic motives, would be deported.

The Prime Minister's deflection of blame towards Morocco has drawn sharp criticism, particularly from Israel's Foreign Minister, who accused Sánchez of spreading "defamatory lies" to cover his own management failures. Internally, Sánchez has navigated conflicting intelligence reports within his government regarding prior warnings of the migrant surge, attempting to reconcile claims of early alerts with denials of specific scale.

The ongoing crisis has deepened Spain's political instability, with Sánchez hinting at the possibility of early general elections and expressing strong opposition to the far-right Vox party potentially coming to power.