A statement from Spain's Interior Ministry said police arrested a Spanish citizen suspected of recruiting Muslims from two Spanish enclaves in northern Africa to assist jihadist groups fight against the Syrian government, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Yassin Ahmed Laarbi was detained on Monday in Ceuta, a Spanish enclave in Morocco where Muslims make up a large percent of the population. Eight people from Laarbi's jihadist network were arrested on June 21 after an unsuccessful search for him at his home.
According to officials, Laarbi was getting ready to join a jihadist group in Syria before his arrest. A report by WRAL TV said his group has allegedy sent 50 militants to Syria so far, some of which have carried out suicide bombings.
"He is suspected of having been the top leader of an active network that recruited and radicalized mujahedeen and martyrs and sent them to terrorist groups in Syria," the statement said.
Earlier this month, police arrested a "suspected jihadist terrorist" in Melilla, another Spanish enclave in northern Africa.
Spanish authorities allege that multiple citizens, mostly from Ceuta and Melilla, have participated in the insurgency against Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime with organizations linked to Al Qaeda.
Laarbi's method of recruitment differs from most approaches, which usually include websites and online chat rooms, Spanish officials said.
Government officials in the European Union have expressed fear in European citizens being recruited to fight with Syrian rebels, especially after lifting an arms embargo in May.
"It was a difficult decision for some countries, but it was necessary and right to reinforce international efforts to reach a diplomatic solution to the conflict in Syria," Britain's Foreign Secretary William Hague said in a statement.
