Concern is growing in Spain over the rising number of radicalization cases among young people. A recent arrest in Melilla has once again highlighted that some individuals continue to recruit for terrorist organizations even after serving time in prison. This incident underscores the need for constant monitoring and a reassessment of measures to prevent extremism, especially among vulnerable groups.
According to El Pais, officers from the National Police Information Commissariat detained a 40-year-old Spaniard who had already been convicted in 2018 for similar offenses. After being released in 2023, he resumed seeking out young Muslim women, including minors, using social media to make contact. The investigation revealed that the man portrayed himself as a victim of the system in order to gain the girls’ sympathy and trust.
Methods and scale
The investigation, which also involved the Centro Nacional de Inteligencia (CNI), found that the suspect operated according to a well-established pattern. First, he targeted girls aged 18 to 19, and sometimes younger, online. He then invited them to face-to-face meetings, where he used psychological pressure and religious teachings to encourage support for radical ideas. The girls were shown videos featuring members of ISIS and Al-Qaeda, as well as footage of attacks, to reinforce his influence.
During a search of his home, police seized electronic devices and paper documents, which are now being analyzed. According to El Pais, the detainee has again drawn the attention of law enforcement due to attempts to involve young women in extremist activities. Judge of the National Court, Santiago Pedraz, ordered his detention on charges of participating in a terrorist group, promoting terrorism, and training others.
Women in new recruitment schemes
According to RUSSPAIN.COM, 20 suspects with alleged links to jihadist networks have already been detained in Spain this year. Notably, an increasing number of recruitment targets are women, mostly young. Research by the Observatorio Internacional de Estudios sobre Terrorismo (OIET) confirms that in recent years, the number of women detained has remained steady at around eight per year, with half of them under 25. This shows that the involvement of women in extremist networks has shifted from being exceptional to a consistent trend.
In Spain, women are most often involved in logistics, financing, or recruitment, although cases of individual attacks prepared by women have already been reported in other countries. Police note that these tactics require new approaches to prevention and threat detection. It is important to note that in recent years, law enforcement agencies have strengthened cooperation with educational and religious organizations to identify signs of radicalization at an early stage.
Context and consequences
The incident in Melilla is not the first case of former inmates returning to their previous activities. This raises questions about the adequacy of rehabilitation and post-release monitoring measures. A spike in such incidents is prompting authorities to rethink their strategies for combating extremism, with particular attention to young people and women. Notably, other regions of the country have also reported attempts to recruit young people into radical groups, confirming that this is a nationwide issue.
Amid these developments, other significant changes are taking place in Spain’s security system. For example, in Lleida, a woman was recently appointed as head of the police for the first time following a series of high-profile scandals, marking an important step towards renewing staffing policies and strengthening public trust in law enforcement. More details about this appointment are available in the article about changes in the leadership of Lleida’s police.
In recent years, Spain has been facing new challenges in domestic security. In just the past two years, several networks using the internet and messaging apps for recruitment have been exposed. In 2025, Madrid and Barcelona saw large-scale operations detaining suspects allegedly involved in preparing terrorist attacks and financing extremist groups. These events demonstrate that the threat of radicalization remains relevant, and that recruitment methods are becoming increasingly sophisticated and targeted at young people.
