The Spanish Civil Guard has identified 15 sexual assault cases involving women and children in Ceuta over two weeks following a recent influx of migrants.
According to authorities cited Saturday by radio station Onda Cero, the most recent incident occurred on Friday night, August 14, on Lisboa Street. Three suspects, who are reportedly brothers, attempted to sexually abuse a 10-year-old girl. Newspaper El Español reported Saturday that officers have arrested two people so far in connection with the 15 identified offenses.
Fugitive Arrest and Border Patrols
Authorities also arrested a man wanted by Interpol who has a prior record for terrorism and several other crimes, according to newspaper El Mundo.
Reporter Alfredo Leite tracked the ongoing tension between Ceuta and Morocco following the migrant entry attempt, noting that the military was deployed in force. He described the arrival of armored vehicles at the border between Ceuta and Morocco as a demonstration of force.
Moroccan authorities detained more than 140 people on Saturday after a second failed attempt at irregular entry into Ceuta. Officers used tear gas to disperse hundreds of migrants, the majority of whom were sub-Saharan. A related report noted that Moroccan authorities made 148 detentions to stop irregular entries into the enclave.
Local Reactions and Border Security
Within Ceuta, a barber volunteered to cut the hair of migrants who remain in the city.
Maria, a resident who views the wire fence dividing Ceuta from Morocco from her house window, said she felt afraid but also felt great pity for the migrants.
