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Police seize 20,000 military uniforms being smuggled out of Europe for Isis and Jabhat al-Nusra

The camouflage fatigues were smuggled in aid containers marked as 'second hand clothes'

Samuel Osborne
Friday 04 March 2016 12:42 GMT
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The aid containers were seized following a routine inspection by customs officials in Valencia and Algeciras
The aid containers were seized following a routine inspection by customs officials in Valencia and Algeciras (Policía Nacional)

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Spanish authorities have seized more than 20,000 military uniforms hidden inside aid packages they said were bound for Isis and Jabhat al-Nusra.

Spain's interior ministry told the International Business Times that, along with the camouflage fatigues smuggled as "second-hand clothes," other military accessories were found in the containers.

The aid containers were seized following a routine inspection by customs officials in Valencia and Algeciras.

Officials said the shipment was being sent to Isis fighters in Iraq and Syria and to the al-Qaeda affiliated Jabhat al-Nusra.

A statement from the ministry read: "The containers which carried the military uniforms were declared as second-hand clothes so as to not raise suspicions and be able to pass different customs inspections without any difficulty."

Law enforcement agencies denied the shipment originated from Spain. They did not disclose the exact destination of the containers.

Spanish police said the bust is connected to the arrest of seven people in February.

The suspects were accused of sending arms and bomb-making equipment to Iraq and Syria disguised as humanitarian aid.

Five were Spanish nationals of Syrian, Jordanian and Moroccan ancestry. Two others were Syrian and Moroccan nationals living in Spain.

The interior ministry added: "With the roughly 20,000 military uniforms and accessories, it would have been possible to equip an entire army, which would be ready to enter into combat in any of the battlegrounds which jihadist terrorist organisations have round the world."

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