Severed heads & bombs as wedding gifts… ISIS breeding ground minutes from Ceuta with new migrant invasion feared in days

A MOROCCAN town next to Spanish enclave Ceuta that saw an influx of migrants last week is an ISIS breeding ground once home to a terrorist brute who posed with severed heads and gifted his bride a bomb belt. The border town of Fnideq, which hosts 85,000 inhabitants and is known in Spanish as Castillejos, is the closest Moroccan urban centre to Ceuta. Mohamed Hamdouch was an ISIS terrorist from the jihadist hotbed Migrants gather after crossing back from the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, to the Moroccan side of the border in Fnideq Credit: Reuters It comes amid fears another invasion of Ceuta – where 70,000 migrants crossed the border on Thursday – could happen again in the coming days. Fnideq is a primary recruitment hub for Islamic State extremists in North Africa. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! In 2015, at the height of the Syrian conflict, it was estimated around 400 of the 1,200 Moroccans who had travelled to Syria and Iraq to join ISIS came from Fnideq. One of them, Mohamed Hamdouch, became notorious for posing with the severed heads of his victims – and was known as The Decapitator. Hamdouch gifted his wife a bomb as a wedding present People walk on a beach as they attempt to cross from the Moroccan northern town of Fnideq Credit: AP In one image that appeared on jihadist forums he held a bloody knife in his hand and showed off the severed heads of five Syrian soldiers. The Moroccan ISIS fighter, also known as Kokito Castillejos, gained notoriety in Spain for marrying a woman from Ceuta and giving her an explosive belt as a wedding gift. He was killed while fighting in Syria in November 2015. Many Islamic extremists have snuck into Spain as irregular migrants in the past before going on to be arrested or linked to terror. Most read in The Sun Migrants gather next to burning cars in Fnideq as they wait for a chance to cross to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta Credit: Reuters Former rapper-turned-jihadist Abdel-Majed Abdel-Bary, who was raised in Maida Vale, snuck into Spain in 2020 Credit: Tim Stewart This includes former rapper-turned-jihadist Abdel-Majed Abdel-Bary, who was raised in Maida Vale, West London. The dual British-Egyptian national quit his music career to join ISIS in Syria in 2013, quickly becoming one of the group’s most infamous British faces. He sparked horror after posting a picture holding the severed head of a Syrian soldier, captioned: “Chillin’ with my homie, or what’s left of him.” The image even led to him being briefly misidentified as ISIS executioner “Jihadi John”. Two cars burn during the migrant crossing from Fnideq to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta Credit: Reuters Cars were burned during the crossing into Ceuta Credit: Ian Whittaker After fleeing ISIS, Abdel-Bary sneaked into Spain by migrant boat from Algeria in April 2020 alongside two accomplices – Abderrazak Seddiki, 31, and Kossaila Chollouah, 28. All three were arrested in a hideout in Almería. While his two companions were later convicted of terror offenses, Abdel-Bary was found dead in his Cadiz prison cell in July 2023, just days into his Madrid trial. Some 70,000 people swam from Morocco into the Spanish territory of Ceuta located in North Africa on Thursday – with dramatic images and videos showing the chaos unfold. There are fears another mass border crossing is being planned in the coming days – as social media posts calling for a second invasion gain traction. Reports say the peninsula could see scenes of mayhem play out on the streets yet again, as plans are being made for another mass border crossing on August 15. On social media, posts appear to be plotting another storming of the shores of Ceuta, with one message reading: “Everything will be seen that day.” Another appears to call for the creation of a WhatsApp group, saying: “Our appointment is on 15/08/2026.” Migrants desperate to try to reach Europe are reportedly being encouraged to join the group by sending a private message using the password “Ceuta”. The revelation of the messages and posts – written in Darija, an Arabic dialect spoken in Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia – has sparked major concern in Ceuta. It also comes after Spanish cops claimed today at least a dozen convicted terrorists were among those who went across the border last week. Terrorists previously deported to Morocco after arrests in Spain were part of the mass crossing, local outlet El Espanol reported. Authorities believe it is “very possible” the number of criminals with links to Islamic extremists could increase. The Spanish territory is still reeling from the “apocalyptic” scenes last week. Up to 70,000 migrants were believed to have entered the city during the frenzied ordeal. Over 48,000 have been frogmarched back across the frontier by Spanish cops and military personnel. But there are currently an estimated 5,000 migrants, including nearly 1,000 children, remaining in the Spanish territory trying to dodge the security sweep. Distressing pictures have shown dozens of North African youths sleeping on the pavement on makeshift beds made out of cardboard boxes. The children will most likely end up being transferred to the Spanish mainland to ease overcrowding in Ceuta. The city is already caring for some 850 children, but is planning to expand its facilities with two more centres, as the number of youngsters is expected to rise over the coming days. Fights broke out on Monday during the first Red Cross handout of food and drinks at Trampolin Beach. Several police clashes also erupted last week amid the chaos, and at least 72 people were killed due to drowning or the resulting beach stampede after the migrants crossed into the Spanish territory. Comment now