Seven people with suspected ties to ISIS and other jihadist groups were arrested after raids in Spain on Sunday, officials said.
Each individual allegedly helped supply firearms and cash to terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq, the Spanish Interior Ministry said in a statement. Their leader operated the international jihadist cell as a “business complex,” sending the supplies from Spanish ports disguised as “humanitarian help,” the statement said.
The group of suspects included five Spanish nationals of Syrian, Jordanian and Moroccan origin, and two foreigners of Syrian and Moroccan origin, according to NBC News. “The continued supply [of logistical material] by this cell directly supported the continuity and reinforcement of terrorist structures in Syria and Iraq,” the Spanish Interior Ministry said.
The investigation into the cell first began in 2014, officials said. The raids took place in the cities of Valencia and Alicante and in Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta.
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Why Biden Dropped Out
- Ukraine’s Plan to Survive Trump
- The Rise of a New Kind of Parenting Guru
- The Chaos and Commotion of the RNC in Photos
- Why We All Have a Stake in Twisters’ Success
- 8 Eating Habits That Actually Improve Your Sleep
- Welcome to the Noah Lyles Olympics
- Get Our Paris Olympics Newsletter in Your Inbox
Contact us at letters@time.com