Prisons breed terror

The week's news at a glance.

Madrid

Islamic fundamentalists are finding recruits in Spain’s prisons, Spanish authorities said this week. After police arrested a suspected terror cell of 13 Muslim immigrants last week, they discovered that the men had all been common criminals, not religious radicals, when they met in the same prison. By the time they got out, they were calling themselves Martyrs for Morocco and planning to blow up a Madrid courthouse. “People in prisons are young, alienated, with a taste for adventure and for risk taking, and who feel their lives have been a waste,” said crime analyst Juan Avilés. “You can find all the raw materials to create terrorists.”

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up