Spanish police on Thursday announced the arrest of a 44-year-old imam who, employed as an Arabic teacher, allegedly exploited his role to radicalize minors and potentially recruit individuals for the Islamic State (IS).
Spanish police said Thursday they had arrested a 44-year-old imam who worked as an Arabic teacher and used his position “to radicalize minors” and recruit possible Islamic State (IS) members.
The Guardia Civil police force said the suspect was arrested on November 29 following an investigation which began last year after police identified him as having links to jihadist ideology and trying to indoctrinate minors.
The suspect, who worked at a Madrid mosque, had been detained “for using his role as a teacher to radicalize the minors he taught and to recruit potential members for Daesh,” using the Arabic acronym for the IS group.
“The detainee presented the minors with a violent view of religion using the same language as the main jihadist terrorist organizations,” it said.
“In his talks, he praised the idea of the suicide bomber as a legitimate figure in the fight against Jews, Christians and apostates. He expanded on these theories in his classes as an example of behavior all Muslims should follow.”
As an imam, the suspect had led prayers and taught at the Madrid mosque, but when the community became aware of what he was doing, he was forced to step down.
“These activities did not pass unnoticed within the community, which created conflict and meant the suspect was forced to leave the mosque and continue his activities in more private places,” it said.
Since 2015, Spain has been on alert level four, out of a maximum of five, with the last major attack in August 2017 when a group of young radicalized Moroccans mowed down pedestrians in Barcelona and a nearby seaside town, killing 16 and wounding 150.
Khalil Wakim, with AFP
