Spain’s opposition leader has accused Morocco of coordinating the mass entry of migrants into Ceuta.

Alberto Nuñez Feijoo made the explosive remarks from the Spanish enclave on Wednesday, where he travelled to mark Ceuta Day.

It comes amid mounting political scrutiny over what authorities knew before some 72,000 migrants entered the territory on July 30 and 31.

Feijoo, who leads the conservative Partido Popular, said Spain was facing a moment of ‘special gravity’ and accused the government of ignoring warnings from the country’s security services.

He claimed the government had ‘disregarded all the reports’ and accused it of bearing responsibility for the deaths that occurred during the border surge.

‘The operation came from Morocco, was permitted by Morocco and everything appears to indicate that it was also coordinated by Morocco,’ Feijoo charged.

He demanded that Spain urgently summon Morocco’s ambassador in Madrid and recall the Spanish ambassador in Rabat for consultations while the circumstances surrounding the crisis are clarified.

Police report sparks political storm

Feijoo’s comments follow reports about a Policia Nacional intelligence document submitted to National Court judge Maria Tardon.

El Español reported that the document described Moroccan gendarmes directing groups towards specific crossing points and plain-clothes individuals giving instructions on the Moroccan side of the border.

The newspaper also reported that the police intelligence unit CENIF had issued a warning on July 29 of an ‘extreme risk’ of coordinated illegal entries by sea.

However, the interpretation of that report is now fiercely disputed.

Later on Wednesday, Policia Nacional director Francisco Pardo said the document does not attribute the planning or execution of the mass entry to Morocco or its security forces.

Pardo also said the July 29 alert was a preventative measure and did not specifically predict that a mass crossing would occur the following day.

That clarification puts the police leadership’s interpretation of the document directly at odds with claims being made by the PP and some media reports.

Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska had earlier written to Pardo demanding clarification after saying he had not previously been informed of the report.

PP demands Marlaska resign

The controversy has prompted the PP to demand Marlaska’s resignation.

PP secretary general Miguel Tellado accused the minister of having denied knowledge of the report for a month before being ‘exposed’, calling him ‘incompetent’ and a ‘liar’.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said earlier this week that he had no intelligence information giving him reason to suspect Moroccan authorities had participated in the mass crossing, while praising Morocco’s cooperation during the crisis.

The row comes as demonstrations are being held across Spain on Wednesday in solidarity with Ceuta, coinciding with the autonomous city’s official day.