06 / 10
Marlaska seeks answers on Ceuta police report
Spain’s interior minister has asked the police chief to verify claims about Morocco’s role in Ceuta crossings.
What happened
Fernando Grande-Marlaska asked National Police director Francisco Pardo to verify a report submitted to the National Court. The report alleges Moroccan security forces directed mass crossings into Ceuta at the end of July. Marlaska also asked when police leadership learned of the information.
Numbers
- 72,000arrivals cited in the report — Around, over two days
- 30–31 Julydates of the crossings
- 3 dayswarning before the crossings
Questions
- How many people were involved?
- One account puts arrivals at around seventy-two thousand over two days, while other coverage gives differing totals for the same crossings.
- What was CENIF’s role?
- The National Immigration and Borders Centre, a police intelligence unit, prepared the information that was sent to the National Court.
- How did the report describe crossings?
- It described gendarmes in uniform and plain clothes guiding successive groups toward Ceuta, with the stated aim of overwhelming border controls.
- What warning came beforehand?
- A Guardia Civil intelligence document described a possible serious border episode three days beforehand, raising questions over how alerts were handled.
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The catch
The report’s contents have not been independently verified, and Moroccan authorities had not responded in the coverage.
Government review is continuing.