Declassified intelligence documents reveal that both Spanish and Moroccan authorities received warnings about calls on social media for a coordinated mass crossing into Ceuta a day before a large influx of migrants arrived.
The papers, released in recent days, say the alerts specifically referenced online appeals urging people to head for the border en masse. Those appeals preceded what has been described in reports as a surge in crossings that saw tens of thousands enter the Spanish enclave on Morocco's northern coast.
The disclosure has prompted scrutiny of how quickly authorities on both sides of the border reacted to the warnings and whether the information could have been acted on to manage the situation differently. The documents do not, however, set out the full details of any operational decisions taken in the hours after the alerts were issued.
Officials in Spain and Morocco have previously been involved in complex co-operation on migration and border control, and the newly released files are likely to feed debate about preparedness, early-warning mechanisms and the role of social media in mobilising large groups. The revelations may also shape public and political discussion about migration policy and cross-border coordination going forward.
Further reporting may clarify which agencies held the information, what specific content the social media posts contained and how the alerts were processed, but the declassified documents as described make clear that authorities were put on notice shortly before the mass crossing occurred.