Two Brazilian brothers arrested in Spain for alleged Islamic State links

Spanish police have arrested two Brazilian brothers in the southern city of Estepona over alleged links to the Islamic State militant Islamist group, the Civil Guard police force said.

The police said the siblings had been radicalised and had distributed IS propaganda over the internet.

The Civil Guard's statement on Monday said it had identified "significant international links" between the brothers and individuals arrested or under investigation in European countries related to what it described as "the jihadist threat".

The Civil Guard were assisted by the US FBI and Brazilian police, they said.

The brothers, whose names were not disclosed, appeared before a judge and are being held in jail while the investigation continues.

Since train bombings in Madrid in 2004 that were carried out by Islamists and killed 191 people, Spanish police have arrested more than 1,000 alleged jihadists, 56 of them in 2023, according to data from the interior ministry.

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Reporting by Emma Pinedo; Editing by David Latona and Rosalba O'Brien