Spanish security forces arrested a Moroccan female at Barcelona airport who wanted to leave the country to joint the Islamic State in Iraq and Levant (ISIL) in Syria, the interior ministry said Saturday.
Civil guard arrested the Moroccan female, who lived in Spain, upon her return from Turkey with her three-year-old son. She flew to Turkey with her son to join ISIL in Syria, the ministry added in a statement.
The arrest operation took place in cooperation with relevant Turkish authorities, who arrested the Moroccan while attempting to cross the borders to Syria, and sent her back to Spain.
The ministry said the boy was handed over to his father who lived in Barcelona. The father informed the police about the disappearance of his wife and son last December.
Investigations showed that the Moroccan woman was also involved in recruiting women living in Spain and Morocco to join ISIL.
Spanish parliament approved a bill last month that toughened penalties on people committing terrorist acts.