The National Court orders the expulsion, from the national territory for ten years, of a Moroccan citizen who formed a jihadist cell in the prison of Palma to recruit fighters for the jihad and to organise attacks in Morocco and Spain. The prisoner is a Moroccan citizen who arrived in Spain at the age of twelve and resided in Manacor. In 2019 he was serving a sentence for a crime of robbery with force and had previously been in the penitentiary centre on two other occasions.
As confirmed by two other inmates, in prison he offered significant amounts of money to people to travel to Syria to make jihad. He was looking, in collaboration with people who were at liberty, for predisposed inmates who were about to serve their sentences. They were offered about five thousand euros, military training, a comfortable economic future and a Muslim woman as a wife.
According to the police report, the network began operating in 2014 and maintained its activity for almost five years. In addition, in prison he was classified as a dangerous prisoner, with a "top dog position" from which he attempted to convert other prisoners.
Based on the complaint, a criminal proceeding was initiated by the Nacional Court, this was dismissed. However, in application of the Immigration Law, a very serious sanction was imposed on him, revoking his long-term residence permit as he posed a threat to national security.
Appeal
The expelled filed an appeal that is now dismissed by the Court. He denied that he posed a risk to national security and appealed to his roots in Mallorca, where his parents, three siblings, his partner and a son born in 2015 are. These arguments are rejected: "Given the radicalisation that has been exposed, there are undoubtedly compelling reasons of public safety for his expulsion". It was also alleged in the appeal that the criminal investigation of the Central Court of Instruction had failed, so there was no firm conviction for jihadism. The Litigation Chamber answered that "the absence of a criminal proceeding or conviction cannot prevent the processing and resolution of an administrative proceeding for the commission of an infraction".