Police in Spain arrested two imams on the island of Ibiza Tuesday over their alleged support of the Islamic State jihadist group.
In a statement, Spain’s Interior Ministry said the two Moroccan imams were arrested at a mosque in the town of Sant Antoni de Portmany.
“They publicly and repeatedly expressed on social networks their support for the terrorist group Daesh (IS), its methods and its Salafist-jihadist ideology,” the statement read.
Officials said the two men were 31 and 35 years old, respectively, but did not provide their names.
The ministry statement said the two imams had intensified their support for IS over the past few years and there was particular concern for their influence over young people at the mosque.
Since 2015, Spanish authorities have arrested 156 people on charges related to pro-jihad activity.
