Spanish government refuses to declassify Moroccan intelligence reports on Casablanca attacks

The Spanish government has refused to hand over to the parliamentary committee investigating last March terrorist attacks in Madrid reports by foreign secrete services, including the reports by the Moroccan intelligence department on the Casablanca attacks of May 2003, an official source said.

The Spanish government decided in a meeting on Friday to hand over to the fact-finding committee all the official documents it requested, including classified reports of various Spanish security and intelligence departments. Madrid, however, refused to let them consult the documents prepared by foreign intelligence departments, said first deputy-premier, Maria Teresa de la Vega.

In addition to the Moroccan secret reports on the Casablanca attacks, mainly a report on one of the key suspects in the Madrid attacks, Jamal Zougam, the Spanish government refused to declassify American and British intelligence reports on the presence in Spain of alleged suspects in the 9/11 attacks in the USA as well as two reports of Israel's Mossad on the presence of Al-Qaida network in Spain.

The Spanish official explained that the reports will remain classified because their unveiling will affect "the structure, sources and procedures" of the Spanish counter-intelligence department, of foreign intelligence services and of international organizations.