RABAT, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Moroccan authorities on Friday arrested 28 illegal migrants trying to reach the Spanish coast from the northern city of Tangier, local media reported.
The illegal migrants were arrested in two separate operations, leading Moroccan news site Hespress.com reported, citing a security official.
In the first operation, 16 migrants were arrested when preparing to embark on a boat bound for Spain.
The Moroccan navy arrested 12 more migrants in the second operation after intercepting their boat off Tangier.
The migrants were handed over to the security authorities to take legal actions against them, the source said on condition of anonymity.
As of Sept. 6, a total of 10,276 African migrants have arrived in Spain this year from the coast of Morocco, data from the International Organization for Migration shows.
