Spanish intelligence and police warned of Ceuta mass crossing a day in advance

An urgent memo from the National Intelligence Centre (CNI), declassified on Wednesday and dated 29 July, confirms that the agency was aware, at least 24 hours in advance, of the possibility of a migrant crossing linked to Morocco's Throne Day celebrations.

The memo, declassified by the Spanish Prime Minister's Office, shows that Morocco's intelligence services, the DGST and DGED, were warned about several active WhatsApp groups that were "preparing an attempt to enter (...) next Thursday, 30 July".

Pedro Sánchez said on Wednesday, in an interview on 'Mañaneros 360', that the CNI had failed to effectively anticipate the migration and humanitarian crisis that eventually unfolded in Ceuta.

However, the Defence Minister maintains that the Centre did warn the Government Delegation in the autonomous city a day before the potential crisis. The memo, together with another declassified WhatsApp conversation, backs Margarita Robles on this latter point.