Spain expels hairdresser who recruited followers for the Islamic State in Tarragona

A man has been expelled from Spain after it was discovered that he was recruiting followers for the Islamic State through his hair salon. The 53-year-old Moroccan citizen has been sent to Casablanca, Morocco, according to information published by the Diari de Tarragona .

The man was from the Barcelona province of Mataró, in Catalonia. The man had a criminal record, having been arrested by the Civil Guard in 2018 along with another individual for being part of a Salafist-jihadist cell operating in Catalonia.

Precautions The expelled person is prohibited from entering the Schengen area for the next 10 years.

It was already proven that he had direct relations with individuals from different jihadist cells. The man was released on bail in 2022 and returned to Mataró. However, since then, he has been monitored by the Mataró Local Information Brigade, which has followed all his movements with the aim of preventing him from reoffending.

For the past few years, this man has been working as a hairdresser in Mataró, however, it has been discovered that he was recruiting followers from his own hair salon and in private meetings at homes in Mataró, Barcelona and Tarragona.

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After assessing the danger posed by this man linked to Jihadist-DAESH terrorism, the National Court gave the go-ahead to proceed with his expulsion. It was then that the National Police, together with officers from the UCRIF in Barcelona, ​​GEDEX, the Local Information Brigade in Mataró and its BPI in Barcelona, ​​arrested the man and took him to the airport to send him to Casablanca (Morocco).

The expulsion took place in mid-February 2025 at Madrid-Barajas airport. The man is banned from entering the Schengen area for the next 10 years.