Spain: Police arrest woman for recruiting young girls for IS

MADRID — Spanish police today (July 7) arrested a woman suspected of recruiting pre-teen girls and teenagers of both sexes to send to areas controlled by the Islamic State armed group in Syria.

An Interior Ministry statement said the woman, a Spaniard, was arrested in the city of Arrecife on the Canary Island of Lanzarote.

The ministry said the woman maintained contact with Islamic State militants in Syria.

It added that the operation was being conducted by the National Court in Madrid.

Spain has arrested dozens of suspected jihadi militants and recruiters in recent years.

Yesterday, police arrested two men in Madrid for alleged collaboration with Kurdish groups fighting in Syria and Iraq.

The two are suspected of having being trained to use arms and explosives and fight guerrilla warfare. The ministry said their actions affected Spain's national interests.

The ministry said it hoped to dissuade other leftist militants from enlisting and possibly falling into the hands of the Islamic State group, which could use them for propaganda. AP