Eleven Moroccans expelled to Morocco following attack on military personnel in Ceuta
The Criminal Court in Ceuta ordered the expulsion of eleven Moroccan citizens convicted of assaulting a military patrol in Benzú, with a ban on returning for five years.
Eleven of the twelve detained for the attack in Benzú to be expelled to Morocco
The Criminal Court in Ceuta has ordered the expulsion from Spanish territory of eleven Moroccan citizens convicted for their involvement in the attack against a military patrol of the Grupo de Regulares in the Benzú area. According to El Mundo, the judicial ruling, issued on Friday, replaces the two-year prison sentence agreed with the Public Prosecutor's Office with immediate expulsion, with a prohibition on returning to Spain for five years.
The eleven convicted individuals acknowledged their participation in the events and accepted the penalty proposed by the Public Prosecutor. This acceptance allowed an abbreviated hearing to take place and avoided the holding of an ordinary trial.
According to the ruling, the accused were part of a group of irregular migrants who were in the vicinity of Benzú and who, according to the facts recorded in the sentence, had prepared an action against vehicles travelling through the area. The final target was an Army patrol. During the assault, stones were thrown at the vehicle in which the military personnel were travelling, an incident that left four officers wounded to varying degrees of severity.
Following the events, security forces deployed an operation that resulted in the arrest of twelve people.
The situation of the twelfth detainee differs from that of the rest. This accused rejected the agreement proposed by the Public Prosecutor's Office and denied any participation in the assault. During his court appearance, he stated that he was sleeping at the moment when police intervention took place and completely distanced his presence in the area from the facts under investigation.
Given the lack of acceptance of the charges, the judge agreed to maintain his remand in custody whilst criminal proceedings continue and the date of the corresponding trial is set.
Source: El Mundo