Suspected jihadist arrested in Melilla is former Spanish soldier

A Spanish national arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of indoctrinating and recruiting women to send them to combat areas controlled by Islamic State (ISIS) in Syria and Iraq is a former member of the Spanish military.

David Mohamed Mohamed, 29, from Melilla, was a professional soldier in the Spanish army’s 8th Engineer Regiment stationed in the Spanish North African exclave, Ministry of Defense sources have confirmed to EL PAÍS.

Mohamed was dismissed from the armed forces eight years ago as a result of drug-related issues and for stealing military explosives

Mohamed was dismissed from the armed forces eight years ago as a result of drug-related issues and for stealing military explosives.

He became radicalized after his dismissal, eventually swapping his allegiance to the Spanish flag to that of the terrorist organization led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

According to Interior Ministry sources, his arrest, which was carried out in Melilla by National Police with support from Moroccan secret services under the orders of the Spanish High Court public prosecutor, is the product of investigations that took place in August and December 2014 and July 2015, which have already resulted in 11 arrests.

The arrested man is allegedly responsible for recruiting, indoctrinating and radicalizing third parties and encouraging them to join jihadist organizations such as Islamic State. He accumulated a collection of jihadist material, which he even allegedly used to familiarize his underage son with terrorism tactics.

Part of the propaganda material was specifically directed at radicalizing women. Several of the files seized by police at the man’s home are the same as those found in the possession of the women involved in the network.