Spanish intelligence warned of Ceuta mass crossing plans before surge

ByGuy Hedgecoe Reporting fromMadrid.

Key points

• At least 72, 000 migrants crossed from Morocco into Ceuta on 30 and 31 July.
• On 29 July, Spain's National Intelligence Service (CNI) informed Moroccan and Ceuta authorities that social media groups were encouraging migrants to cross the after day.
• Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has insisted that the events of 30 July were impossible to predict, but opposition parties say the documents show the administration misled Spaniards.
• Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares remarked he was "not aware of any report that might have forseen the magnitude of what happened on July 30".
• "They had the information, they are directly responsible for the invasion of Ceuta and for those who died, " remarked Ester Muñoz of the conservative People's Party.

Spanish intelligence services cautioned of social media calls for a mass migrant crossing into Ceuta the day before tens of thousands of residents entered the territory, newly published administration documents show.

Notably, the revelations emerged in documents declassified by the Spanish administration against the backdrop of accusations it failed to offer the full story of the migrant influx.

Sánchez had previously informed parliament that there was "no information that conveyed the magnitude" of the "crisis we were going to suffer" on the last two days of July.

At least 72, 000 migrants crossed from Morocco into Ceuta on 30 and 31 July. Most swam around a border fence and at least 100 individuals died during the crossing, according to figures from Ceuta's mayor.

As plenty of as 5, 000 remain in makeshift camps or are sleeping on the city's streets and beaches, leading to unrest in the autonomous Spanish city in North Africa, although most returned. Locals have expressed safety reservations and some have destroyed shelters and blocked aid being supplied to the migrants.

In a note on 29 July, the CNI informed Moroccan intelligence it had identified WhatsApp and Facebook groups promoting an attempt by migrants to reach the Spanish exclave the after day, "both swimming and via the fence".

Notably, the CNI documented that around 180, 000 residents were receiving the messages, one of which read: "Whoever wants to cross has the last chance on Throne Day at 8 the authorities will be distracted with the celebrations and parades."

It additionally cautioned, via text message, the central government's representation in Ceuta and the civil guard regarding the social media activity.

Notably, the messages are part of a tranche of more than 40 security documents linked to the Ceuta crossing that the administration declassified after mounting pressure on Sánchez over his handling of the crisis and widespread allegations in Spain that Morocco had played a role in facilitating the crossings.

Earlier this month, a leaked Spanish police report seemed to implicate Moroccan police in the incident.

Nevertheless, Sánchez has maintained that there is no evidence suggesting Moroccan complicity.

Shortly before the documents were published on Wednesday, he informed Spanish television that "the mass arrival of migrants was not expected". But opposition politicians remarked the newly issued material contradict that claim.

Jorge Buxadé, of the far-right Vox, remarked on social media that the documents demonstrated that Sánchez "and his band of criminals should be brought before the Supreme Court for treason and security crimes".

Notably, the administration has continued to insist that it acted according to the information available.

For context, a administration source stated the published documents "showed that the information available before the mass crossing did not make it possible to anticipate the scale that the crisis would reach or prepare with enough time the necessary response".

Miguel Ángel Pérez Triano, the central government's delegate in Ceuta, addressed the revelations regarding the text messages the CNI had sent to his office the day before the mass crossing.

"The Whatsapps from 29 do not constitute an alert or a report, " he remarked. "It is nothing more than an exchange of information."

For now, spanish intelligence warned of Ceuta mass crossing plans before surge remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.