Dramatic intelligence report in Spain: Morocco planned and managed the migrant invasion

The findings presented to the judges paint a serious picture of direct involvement by the Moroccan security forces. According to the findings of the investigation, the entry of the masses into the sovereign territory of Spain was planned and attacked on the ground by disarmed police agents, who acted both in uniform and in civilian clothes.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has broken with accepted political practice and launched a rare public attack on King Felipe VI, amid his absence from handling the serious migration crisis in Ceuta. Sánchez compared his frequent visits to the city with the fact that the king had not visited it at all since he came to power, and emphasized that he recommended him to come to the place. Although he claimed that a royal visit would take place “when the conditions are ripe”, his words provoked many echoes in light of the tradition according to which members of the government avoid direct criticism of the royal house.

Alongside the confrontation with the king, Sánchez revealed the true dimensions of the crisis and admitted that around 5,000 immigrants are still staying in Ceuta – a figure significantly higher than the previous reports which claimed that the vast majority of them had already been returned to Morocco.

The Prime Minister noted that the situation in the city is tense and accompanied by violent clashes and arson, but clarified that approximately 1,200 unaccompanied minors will be transferred to shelters in Spain in accordance with the law, while most of the other immigrants are destined for deportation since they came for economic reasons.

Controversially, Sánchez avoided placing responsibility on Morocco, claiming that cooperation with it is essential to solving the crisis, and chose to point the finger of blame at external factors. According to him, beyond the human smuggling networks, the migration wave is fueled by online campaigns of networks linked to Russia, Israel and the international extreme right with the aim of dividing Europe. His words provoked a sharp reaction from the Israeli Foreign Minister, Gideon Sa’ar, who accused Sanchez of “spreading defamatory lies” designed to divert attention from his administrative failures.

In the internal arena, the Prime Minister had to maneuver in the face of intelligence contradictions within his government regarding the question of whether there were early warnings for the wave of immigration. While the Minister of Defense claimed that the intelligence warned of such a scenario and the Minister of the Interior denied it completely, Sanchez tried to compromise and claimed that there was a warning of an increase in arrivals, but not of the huge scope. He also rejected the criticism that he went on vacation when the events broke out, and explained that politicians are also allowed to rest.

The current crisis deepens the political instability in Spain, and Sánchez for the first time refused to rule out the possibility of bringing forward the national elections. Although he expressed his intention to complete the term and run again if his party elects him, he sounded less decisive than before and warned against the rise of the right-wing party “Wax” to power – a scenario which he defined as a setback that he was determined to fight with all his might.