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Four were Spanish
and one was Moroccan, it said. Two were detained in Barcelona,
one in Spain's North African enclave of Melilla, one in Brussels
and one in Wuppertal, Germany.
Spanish police worked in conjunction with German and Belgium
federal law enforcers in the arrests, the ministry said.
The group used social media, specifically a Facebook page "Islam
en Español" (Islam in Spanish), which had over 32,000 followers,
to glorify the Islamic State and spread the message of the
militant group that operates out of Syria and Iraq, the ministry
said.
Operating almost exclusively in Spanish, they are accused of
commissioning attacks, radicalization, promoting Islamist
militancy and acting as go-betweens for the group in Europe.
Since Spain raised its alert level to 4, the second highest, in
2015, its police have arrested 143 Islamist militants, with 113
in Spain and 30 outside of the country.
Some 34 people have been arrested this year in relation to
Islamist militancy, according to government figures.
(Reporting by Paul Day; Editing by Jeremy Gaunt)
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