Three suspected terrorists arrested in Spain

Accused were aiming to carry out terror acts in Spain

Madrid

: Spanish authorities said on Tuesday they had arrested three Moroccans suspected of links to the Islamic State terrorist group, who were aiming to carry out terror acts in Spain.

The three suspects, who are legal residents of Spain, were arrested in two neighbourhoods of the capital Madrid in the early hours, authorities said in a statement.

Interior Minister Jorge Fernandez Diaz said that, unlike in other cases of suspected terrorists arrested in recent months in the country, the suspects were "not devoted to attracting, indoctrinating, radicalising, recruiting" people to travel to Syria or Iraq to join the ISIS.

"Their goal was to act in Spain," he said on Cadena Ser radio.

Europe has been grappling with a growing number of terrorist cells on its territory and radicalised Muslims leaving to fight for the ISIS group or joining the rebels in Iraq and Syria.

More than 100 people from Spain are suspected of having joined terrorist fighters in Iraq and Syria and authorities fear they may return to launch attacks.

Spain has arrested several dozen suspected ISIS recruiters in recent months.

Some 171 suspected terrorist have been detained in security operations since December 2011, according to the interior minister.