Spain has found no evidence that Moroccan authorities planned or carried out the deadly mass border crossing into Ceuta in July, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told parliament on Thursday.
His remarks followed the emergence of a Spanish police report describing the surge as a coordinated, phased operation intended to overwhelm security at the border between Morocco and the Spanish enclave.
“No institution — not the diplomatic service, the European Commission or any international body — has provided the Spanish government with solid evidence that Morocco planned or executed the incident,” Sanchez said.
However, the prime minister acknowledged that Moroccan gendarmes allowed crossings to take place during a critical 10-hour period on July 30, when arrivals reached their peak.
Spanish authorities have not determined whether the apparent lack of intervention resulted from a deliberate decision or an inability to control the crowds, he added.
The police report said Moroccan security forces were deployed in smaller numbers than usual near the Tarajal breakwater and made no serious attempt to disperse people gathering at the frontier.
It also alleged that some uniformed Moroccan officers directed people towards the crossing, while unidentified individuals appeared to guide or monitor the movement of the crowds.
However, the report did not identify specific officers or provide independently verified evidence that senior Moroccan authorities had ordered the operation.
Morocco has denied facilitating the border surge.
