Moroccan security forces intercepted 148 would-be irregular migrants in Fnideq and surrounding areas by 1 p.m. Saturday, as authorities maintained an extensive security operation aimed at preventing a mass crossing into Ceuta promoted on social media.
The latest figure represents an increase from the 111 people reported intercepted earlier Saturday morning.
Of the 148 people stopped, 128 are nationals of sub-Saharan African countries and 20 are Moroccan, according to a security source.
No collective crossing into Ceuta had been recorded as of 1 p.m., the source said, adding that security operations would continue in coordination with the various security services and local authorities.
The operation follows several days of an intensified security presence around Fnideq and the Bab Sebta crossing after anonymous social media accounts called for collective irregular crossings on Aug. 15.
Authorities began tightening access to the area ahead of the date, establishing checkpoints on roads leading toward Fnideq and Ceuta and restricting access to the immediate vicinity of Bab Sebta to documented travelers.
Read also : Morocco foils mass crossing attempts into Ceuta and Melilla
National police, the Royal Gendarmerie and Auxiliary Forces have been deployed across Fnideq, surrounding hills and forested areas that could be used as gathering points by would-be migrants.
Security forces have also established a cordon along the coastline, while Royal Gendarmerie patrols and Royal Moroccan Navy vessels have been conducting surveillance offshore to detect attempts to reach Ceuta by sea or by swimming.
Inside Fnideq, mobile patrols have carried out identity checks and operations targeting people suspected of preparing irregular crossings. Hundreds of would-be migrants had already been removed from the area in the days preceding Aug. 15 and transported away from the border zone.
The preventive operation has also extended online. As reported earlier Saturday, national security services have arrested 61 people in recent days on suspicion of encouraging or promoting irregular migration through social media.
Read also : Fnideq under tight security as access to Bab Sebta restricted to non-travelers
Authorities said the digital monitoring would continue alongside operations on the ground to identify those behind calls for collective crossings and networks involved in organizing irregular migration.
