Spanish authorities arrested three Moroccan nationals after bottles containing corrosive liquid were thrown at military personnel in Ceuta, the latest in a series of attacks that have injured troops and intensified scrutiny of migrant unrest in the Spanish enclave.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Spanish authorities arrested three Moroccan migrants Sunday after military personnel in Ceuta were targeted with bottles containing corrosive liquid, according to multiple Spanish news reports.
The attack occurred in the San Amaro neighborhood and marked at least the third reported assault or ambush against Spanish military personnel in the enclave within several days.
According to El Faro de Ceuta and other Spanish reporting, three Moroccan nationals threw bottles filled with a corrosive substance at military personnel Sunday afternoon.
No military personnel were injured.
Civil Guard officers responded immediately and carried out a rapid search that resulted in the capture of the three suspects.
Police sources speaking anonymously to El Mundo said the military personnel were unarmed and were not equipped with protective gear when the attack occurred.
Those sources described the assault as “prepared” by the migrants.
The arrests come amid mounting tensions in Ceuta after groups of illegal migrants entered the Spanish territory last month and amid a series of confrontations involving migrants, military personnel and local residents.
The latest incident followed a similar attack reported during a Friday night demonstration by residents protesting the continuing migrant crisis.
El Faro de Ceuta reported that bottles containing a similar corrosive substance were thrown toward participants at the protest.
Witnesses said at least four people were involved in that incident and that one fled from the scene.
The demonstrations themselves were described as peaceful, but the surrounding violence has fueled concern among residents and security personnel as Spanish authorities attempt to contain the unrest.
Separate allegations have also emerged concerning the migrant-assistance organization No Name Kitchen.
According to Ok Diario, local police identified several members of the organization after they allegedly purchased materials at supermarkets in Ceuta that investigators believe may be connected to improvised incendiary or corrosive devices.
A separate report by the outlet alleged that No Name Kitchen was sheltering illegal migrants at a location in Ceuta and supplying materials allegedly used in attacks.
Those claims remain allegations as presented in the reports provided.
Representatives of Spain’s anti-mass migration VOX party have seized on the accusations and called for legal action against No Name Kitchen.
VOX representatives have also demanded that the European Union freeze any funding connected to projects involving the NGO.
“We cannot allow NGOs that are complicit in the invasion and enemies of the Spanish people to continue acting like criminal organizations, especially with public funds, and especially when they attack our defenders,” VOX Member of the European Parliament Jorge Buxadé reportedly said.
Sunday’s attack on military personnel follows other reported incidents involving troops in Ceuta.
El Mundo reported that two separate ambushes and stone-throwing attacks targeted military personnel between Thursday and Saturday.
At least five members of the military were injured in those incidents, according to the report.
The repeated attacks have prompted the Spanish Troops and Sailors Association, known as ATME, to call for changes in the legal status and protections afforded to military personnel.
The association has urged the government to formally recognize military service as a high-risk profession and designate service members as agents of authority.
Such a designation would give troops broader powers to perform certain day-to-day law enforcement functions similar to those exercised by Spain’s police and Civil Guard.
Under current Spanish law, military personnel receive law enforcement authority only under specific circumstances.
The distinction has become increasingly significant as troops in Ceuta face repeated confrontations while operating without the same everyday legal powers available to police forces.
The latest arrests therefore add to a broader security dispute in the enclave, where authorities are dealing simultaneously with illegal migration, attacks on military personnel, protests by residents and allegations that outside groups may have provided materials used in violent incidents.
With multiple attacks reported in less than a week and at least five military personnel already injured, pressure is growing on Spanish authorities to strengthen protections for troops and determine whether the violence is being organized or supplied by broader networks operating inside Ceuta.
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