Morocco Detains Three IS Suspects Near Spanish Enclave

Moroccan police have detained three suspected supporters of the Islamic State jihadist group near the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, the interior ministry said on Tuesday.

The arrests were made in the border town of Fnideq where two men were held last month on suspicion of running a cell recruiting young women via the Internet to join IS, the ministry said.

It did not say when the new suspects were detained.

A brother of one of the men was killed while fighting for the militant organization in Syria late last year, the ministry said.

Between 1,500 and 2,000 Moroccans have traveled to Syria or Iraq to fight for IS or other jihadist groups, according to government estimates.

In September, new counter-terrorism legislation was introduced to try to stem the flow of volunteers which has resulted in around 30 convictions.

Last month's arrests in Fnideq were made in conjunction with raids by Spanish police that netted another five suspects.

Authorities said that those detained were suspected of having recruited at least 12 women to travel to Iraq or Syria, most of them from the Spanish North African enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla.