Spain: Muslim Sisters Arrested for Running Online Jihadist Academy

Two sisters, aged 19 and 21, have been arrested in Spain for allegedly operating an online jihadist academy targeting Muslim women. The women, who ran the platform from their home in Alcorcon, south-west Madrid, were charged with terrorist indoctrination. Police seized their computers, which are now being analyzed by terrorism experts.
The sisters are accused of using the platform to recruit and indoctrinate individuals under the guise of providing religious teachings. According to Spain’s Home Office, the women created a “complex social engineering structure” that used religious instruction as a cover for jihadist training. The academy primarily targeted Muslim women, aiming to radicalize them into extremist ideologies.
Counterterrorism experts identified the sisters’ social media profiles last year, which shared content linked to Daesh. One of the sisters allegedly praised a violent attack on six women in Barcelona’s underground earlier this year. The case highlights the growing role of Islamic jihadist theology in modern global conflicts and the challenges of distinguishing between legitimate religious education and extremist recruitment efforts.

Published: 6/3/2025