Ceuta court expels eleven Moroccan nationals as Spanish troops face second stone-throwing attack

Saturday foot patrol attack

Spanish security forces detained four people in the North African enclave of Ceuta following an attack on a military foot patrol on the morning of 29 August 2026. According to sources from the Defense General Staff, a group threw rocks at the soldiers, who were on foot while their patrol vehicles were parked nearby. The soldiers pursued the assailants and intercepted two of them. Guardia Civil officers arrived to assist and arrested four suspects, transferring them into the custody of the National Police. During the physical altercation to restrain the suspects, a sergeant suffered light injuries, sustaining contusions to his back. Emergency medical staff transferred the soldier to a healthcare facility for precautionary observation.

Thursday vehicle ambush in Benzú

The incident on Saturday followed an earlier attack that occurred during the early hours of Thursday, 27 August 2026, in the Benzú neighbourhood at the northwestern tip of Ceuta. A group of irregular migrants, estimated at between 30 and 40 people according to El Periódico and up to 70 people according to LaSexta, threw large stones at a patrol vehicle belonging to the Grupo de Regulares. The barrage destroyed the vehicle. Facing the intensity of the assault, the soldiers abandoned the vehicle and retreated on foot to a secure zone, where they called emergency services for backup.

Four soldiers suffered injuries of varying severity during the Benzú ambush, while early reports noted up to five individuals were injured overall. Following the attack, local security forces carried out a coordinated search operation in the area that resulted in the arrest of twelve individuals. Judicial documents subsequently recorded that the group had gathered near Benzú intending to carry out actions against vehicles traveling through the area.

Court ruling and Moroccan national expulsions

On Friday, 28 August 2026, the Ceuta Criminal Court (Juzgado de lo Penal de Ceuta) resolved legal proceedings against eleven of the twelve people arrested after the Benzú ambush. All eleven defendants, identified as Moroccan nationals, accepted a conciliation agreement reached between the Public Prosecutor's Office and defense attorneys. The defendants pleaded guilty to charges of assaulting authorities and accepted a two-year prison sentence. The presiding judge ordered the prison sentences substituted with immediate expulsion from Spain and a five-year ban on returning to Spanish territory, which eliminated the need for a full trial.

Contested case remanded to custody

Proceedings diverged for the twelfth defendant, who rejected the plea agreement submitted by the prosecution. During his appearance before the Ceuta Criminal Court, the suspect denied participating in the stone-throwing assault on the Regulares patrol vehicle or having any association with the event. The defendant testified that he was asleep when police units intervened in Benzú. Because the suspect contested the charges and refused the plea deal, the judge ordered him held in provisional detention without bail while the court prepares for a full criminal trial.