Spanish spy agency says Morocco knew of the Ceuta mass entry and failed to stop it

What the CNI report says

The Centro Nacional de Inteligencia (CNI) told judge María Tardón of the Audiencia Nacional, who is investigating the mass entry, that Moroccan security forces acted with passivity that helped the crisis overflow. The report was signed by CNI director Esperanza Casteleiro and is dated 14 October, according to El País. Europa Press obtained it on 16 October. The analysis draws largely on checks carried out after 30 and 31 July, when thousands of people entered Ceuta. The agency put its central finding in these words.

Moroccan authorities were fully aware that this flow was going to occur.

The report also says Morocco knew in detail about social-media calls, widely followed, that urged a mass entry into Ceuta during the Festa del Trono, or Throne Day, on 30 July. Until the day before the surge, Morocco had kept some proactivity in intercepting swimmers, the dominant form of irregular entry at the time. Once attempts climbed sharply, the agency describes too few security forces combined with passivity, which overwhelmed Morocco's deployment, and no proactive reaction as control was lost.

Disputed figures on entries and deaths

Outlets report the numbers differently. El País puts the entries at more than 70,000 people over 30 and 31 July, while La Razón says about 80,000 people entered in less than 48 hours. Isabel Perelló, speaking on 16 October, said more than 80,000 people had headed from Morocco to Ceuta and cited more than 140 Moroccans dead. El País gives at least 140 people drowned. The report says Spanish services had sent alerts to Moroccan counterparts on 29 July about groups on Facebook and WhatsApp. The Spanish services link the reduced response to Morocco's priority on securing the celebrations at Rincón, where King Mohamed VI was.

Government contact with the Supreme Court

La Razón, citing the CNI information passed to the judge, reports that the government contacted the Supreme Court before the mass entry to ask about the reach of its ruling restricting hot returns. According to the agency, the government delegation in Ceuta approached the court on 28 July about what counts as the 'medio de contención' used in the ruling. The question was whether buoys marking the border line qualified, or whether Guardia Civil boats overtaking swimmers did. Interior had reportedly asked contacts in Morocco's foreign ministry and intelligence services to have Rabat accept its nationals, pending a Supreme Court decision or a possible change in the law. Gonzalo Sanz, the former chief of staff to the government delegate, resigned after saying he warned Miguel Ángel Pérez Triano of the mass entry; Pérez Triano denied this and also resigned.

Navy communications and warships

La Razón, citing unnamed security sources, reports that Defence picked up communications from Moroccan navy vessels during the crisis but judged them not dangerous. The army's telecommunications units in southern Spain intercepted talks aboard at least one frigate and three patrol boats during the entry. The sources said the talks showed no serious threat to Spain, only an intent to annoy and an internal propaganda use. Defence took four days to deploy frigates to deter a vessel described as belonging to King Mohamed VI from continuing its incursions. El País first revealed the warship incident on 12 October, and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez later confirmed that Moroccan vessels entered Spanish waters repeatedly in the final days of July. Government spokesperson Elma Saiz had described the incursion as a one-off on Tuesday, 13 October.

Judicial and political reactions

On Friday, 16 October, Isabel Perelló, president of the Supreme Court and of the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ), spoke in Melilla after receiving a gold medal from the local bar association. She called for a response that protects the borders while respecting legal guarantees, and she urged confidence in the judiciary's work.

Citizens can trust the commitment of the judiciary to the State and that judges will keep working to protect the rights of those affected.

The same day, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of the PP, asked for the navy to be deployed in Ceuta after ABC reported another entry by a Moroccan patrol boat, which the government denies. El País notes that the CNI report was not sent through the Council of Ministers for declassification and that it is the first time the intelligence service has analysed Morocco's attitude.