Shafaq News- Madrid

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Monday linked disinformation surrounding the mass migrant influx into Ceuta to social-media networks associated with Russia, Israel, and the “international far right,” while ruling out involvement by Moroccan authorities.

Speaking to Cadena SER, Sanchez said investigations into the July 30-31 influx were continuing but identified false claims about a Spanish Supreme Court ruling as one factor behind the crossings. The court had barred immediate returns for migrants intercepted at sea while swimming toward Ceuta or Melilla, but misleading posts “portrayed” the ruling as allowing those who reached the enclaves to remain in Spain, giving criminal organizations an opportunity to exploit it.

At least 72,000 migrants crossed from Morocco into Ceuta during the July 30 surge, according to Spanish government figures, leaving eighty-two people dead on the Spanish side and 14 in Morocco. Sanchez estimated that about 5,000 migrants remained in Ceuta on August 31, including roughly 1,200 minors.

Authorities are “still investigating the factors” behind the unprecedented influx.

The European Commission has separately maintained daily contact with online platforms and fact-checkers while monitoring disinformation linked to the influx.