Thousands Of ISIS-Bound Uniforms Seized, Spanish Police Say

By Bill Chappell / NPR

Published March 4, 2016 at 4:19 AM PST

This story was published more than 8 years ago.

Police go through thousands of uniforms that were intercepted in three shipping containers at Spanish ports Thursday.

Police found bales of uniforms and accessories in containers that had been labeled as holding secondhand clothes.

Spain's national police seized 20,000 military uniforms — in a variety of camouflage styles — that the authorities say were headed for ISIS and jihadists in Syria.

Spain's Interior Ministry says the large shipment, which weighed more than 5 tons, was part of a "very active and effective business network" that had sent supplies and war materiel to ISIS.

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The uniforms were found in three shipping containers that were intercepted at ports in Valencia and Algeciras.

From Madrid, Lauren Frayer reports for our Newscast unit:

"They were labeled as secondhand clothes but also contained other military accessories — enough to equip an entire army. "Photos show huge piles of camouflage clothes that officials say were 'perfectly prepared for combat' for fighters with the Islamic State and other Islamist groups. They didn't say where the uniforms came from, or exactly where they were being shipped next. "They did say the discovery was linked to the arrest last month of seven people — five of them Spanish citizens — in eastern Spain and North Africa, who are accused of doing logistics for ISIS. "With its proximity to North Africa, Spain is emerging as a gateway for Islamist militants traveling to and from Europe."