Spanish intelligence and police warned of Ceuta mass crossing a day in advance
Spanish intelligence and police warned before possible Ceuta mass crossing
Poinews.com – Spanish intelligence and police warned officials in Ceuta on 29 July about a possible large-scale attempt to enter the autonomous city the following day, according to documents declassified on Wednesday. The alerts referred to online messages encouraging migrants to swim to Ceuta or cross the border fence during Morocco’s Throne Day celebrations.
The records have added to disagreement within Spain’s government over whether authorities had sufficient advance notice before the migration and humanitarian emergency that later unfolded in Ceuta. They also show that Morocco’s intelligence services, the DGST and DGED, had been alerted to activity in WhatsApp groups linked to plans for Thursday, 30 July.
Alerts issued a day before the planned crossing
Spain’s National Intelligence Centre, known as the CNI, sent an urgent memo dated 29 July. Declassified by the Prime Minister’s Office, the document said the agency had identified groups preparing a possible entry attempt at least a day before it was expected to happen.
A separate warning from the National Centre for Immigration and Borders, or CENIF, was sent to border posts in Ceuta and Melilla on the same day. It described the risk of irregular entries by swimming on 30 July 2026 as “high”. The likelihood of attempts through the land fences and by sea was assessed as “medium”, while the possibility of organisers combining both routes was put at “medium-low”.
This Centre (...) has obtained information about a potential risk of irregular entries into the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla, forecast for 30 July 2026.
It cannot be guaranteed that this will happen, but when this type of activity has been detected on social media and other forums, on some occasions it has ended up materialising.
Ceuta and Melilla are Spanish autonomous cities on the North African coast, where the borders with Morocco are particularly important to European migration policy. Possible coordinated crossings can require rapid cooperation between intelligence services, police, the Guardia Civil, border authorities and the central government’s representatives.
Social-media messages prompted concern
The declassified material describes contacts between the CNI, the Government Delegation in Ceuta and the Guardia Civil. The Government Delegation represents Spain’s central government in the city and is separate from Ceuta’s local presidency.
In an exchange logged at 13:52 on 29 July, a CNI official told the delegation that social-media calls were circulating for a crossing the following evening. The messages referred to attempts through the sea and over the fence at 20:00 on Throne Day, when Moroccan security forces were expected to be occupied.
On social media, there is a call to storm the fence and the sea tomorrow at 20:00, taking advantage of Throne Day, when their security forces will be busy. There are two different groups with a total of 180,000 followers, just so you get an idea of how far this is spreading.
The documents also record an 11-minute telephone call with the delegation at 21:34. A separate WhatsApp exchange shows the CNI raising similar concerns with the Guardia Civil, citing Facebook and WhatsApp groups that encouraged people to attempt entry by swimming and by jumping the fence.
I'm calling you about the situation in Ceuta. We have information about an attempt to enter by swimming and jumping the fence tomorrow, on Throne Day. We have several groups on Facebook and WhatsApp encouraging these crossings.
The Guardia Civil’s Special Central Unit 3, identified as UCE-3 in the conversation, replied after a missed call at 13:59. It said operational pressures had kept the recipient away from base and made it difficult to address the matter immediately.
Dispute over warning and preparedness
The papers support Defence Minister Margarita Robles’s statement that the Government Delegation in Ceuta had received a warning before the potential crisis. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said, however, in a Wednesday interview on Mañaneros 360 that the CNI had not effectively anticipated the scale of the migration and humanitarian emergency that followed.
Without questioning their professionalism, a mass arrival of so many migrants was certainly not anticipated.
Sánchez’s position aligned him with Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska in the disagreement with Robles. Grande-Marlaska has said he did not receive a formal communication warning him about a possible mass crossing.
FAQ: Ceuta border alerts and the warnings issued
When were Spanish authorities alerted?
The declassified intelligence and border-security documents were dated 29 July and warned of a possible coordinated attempt to enter Ceuta on 30 July 2026.
What routes were mentioned in the warnings?
The notices referred to possible entries by swimming, crossing the land fence and potentially combining sea and land routes.
Why was Throne Day relevant?
Online messages cited in the documents suggested that organisers believed Moroccan security forces could be distracted by Throne Day celebrations, creating an opportunity for attempted crossings.
Did the documents predict the eventual scale of the emergency?
The records show that Spanish intelligence and police warned of a possible attempt, but Sánchez said the eventual scale of the migration and humanitarian emergency had not been anticipated.