Eight arrested in Spain for sending jihadis to Syria, Iraq

Eight alleged members of a jihadi cell were arrested on Friday in Spain on charges of inciting terrorism and recruiting fighters to take up arms in Syria and Iraq, the ministry of interior announced.

Spanish security forces launched a series of raids on homes in four provinces -- Barcelona, Girona, Ciudad Real and Avila, Spanish news agency Efe reported citing a ministry statement issued on Friday.

Those arrested were accused of inciting others to commit terrorist acts in Spain following methods of attacks carried out in other countries as a model, according to the official statement.

In addition, they recruited fighters for Syria and Iraq through contacts provided by terrorist organizations.

Thursday's arrests came hours after a Spanish judge imprisoned two suspected jihadis after they were arrested on Tuesday in the Spanish city of Ceuta on suspicion of preparing to launch a terrorist attack in the country.

Spanish Interior Minister Jorge Fernandez Diaz said on Wednesday in the French city of Strasbourg that the detainees in Ceuta were part of a jihadi cell and "were ready to act at any moment".

Tuesday's arrests occurred only weeks after an anti-terrorism operation was launched on January 24, in which two pairs of brothers, described by authorities as "radicalised", were apprehended.

The arrests on January 24 were the first in Spain's fight against terrorism in 2015, while last year authorities arrested 40 suspected terrorists, largely thanks to cooperation with Morocco.