Madrid, Jun 21 (IANS): Eight people have been detained in Spain on charges of recruiting terrorists, authorities said Friday.

The Spanish interior ministry has confirmed that eight people have been arrested in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta on charges of recruiting jihadists with the aim of sending them to fight in Syria, reported Xinhua.

The ministry claimed that the eight detainees, all of Spanish nationality, come from a network with links to the Al Qaeda, adding that they have already sent dozens of recruits, including minors, to fight in the Syrian civil war.

The operation saw the Spanish Civil Guard and National Police carry out a series of early morning raids in Ceuta.

This is the third major operation carried out by Spanish security forces against groups close to the Al Qaeda in recent weeks.

Five men of Tunisian origin were detained June 12 in Barcelona and accused of using the internet to spread pro-Islamist texts and speeches by Al Qaeda leaders.

The Barcelona operation came on the heels of the arrests in late April of two people in the cities of Zaragoza and Murcia, who were accused of being members of a cell of the Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.