Policeman attacked on Spain-Morocco border crossing

An unidentified assailant on Tuesday attacked a policeman with a knife along the Spain-Morocco border, according to local authorities.

The incident occurred at 7.35 a.m., in Melilla city's Beni Ensar border crossing, one of the most heavily-transited crossings in Africa, and resulted in the policeman being very lightly injured, Spanish police officials told Efe news.

According to the officials, the assailant screamed "Allahu Akbar" when he attacked the officer with the blade.

He was promptly neutralised and arrested and his motive and identity were now being investigated, the sources added.

Melilla, a small autonomous city located next to Morocco's northeastern coast, is one of two Spanish enclaves in northern Africa.

The border between Spain and Morocco around the city of Melilla measures some 11 km and authorities registered about 4,000 attempts to breach it during 2016.

Of those attempts, around 7 per cent of the people trying to cross the border succeeded, far from the 18,000 counted in 2014.

--IANS

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