Spain’s spy agency warned of plans to storm Ceuta before mass migrant crossing, documents show - CNN

Spanish intelligence documents released Wednesday show the National Intelligence Centre (CNI) warned Moroccan agencies DGST and DGED, as well as Madrid, on July 29 of plans to storm Ceuta a day before more than 70,000 migrants crossed into the North African enclave.

The CNI flagged social media plans for migrants to scale the border fence or swim around it during Morocco's Throne Day celebrations, noting two groups with a combined 180,000 followers, and alerted the Spanish government's representative in Ceuta via WhatsApp.

NGOs estimate 140 people died in the surge, and six weeks later more than 10,000 migrants, including unaccompanied minors, remain in Ceuta living in makeshift camps, beaches and streets, sparking near-daily protests over the government's handling of the crisis.

Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares insisted the documents showed no warning of the scale of the July 30 surge, saying he had no information pointing to the magnitude of the crossing.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Spain found no evidence the border rush was orchestrated by Moroccan authorities, contradicting allegations made in a Spanish police report.

Spain's Interior Ministry reported passivity among Moroccan border police on the day, noting that reinforcements of 1,000 extra police and soldiers had been expected despite the public holiday, as the government published 40 intelligence reports and alerts.