Moroccan police have arrested more than 100 migrants who were attempting to reach a Spanish enclave on the North African coast, officials said.
The arrests follow a new disinformation campaign on social media that encouraged people to travel to the border and attempt to cross into the city in large numbers.
Security forces were deployed along the coastline and approach roads, with patrols increased in areas where groups had been seen gathering.
“These posts make promises that are simply not true, and the people who believe them are the ones who end up in danger.”
Officials said many of those detained were young men, some of them from Morocco and others from countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
Authorities have warned that false claims spread online can put lives at risk, particularly when people try to swim around breakwaters or climb high border fences.
Spain's two North African enclaves share the European Union's only land borders with Africa and have long been focal points for migration attempts.
Cooperation between Rabat and Madrid on border management has grown in recent years, with both governments stressing joint efforts to tackle people smuggling networks.
Aid organisations have urged authorities to ensure that those detained are treated humanely and that people in need of protection are able to seek it.
Similar online campaigns have surfaced in the past, sometimes spreading rumours that border controls had been relaxed or that crossings would be tolerated on particular dates. In previous episodes, large groups gathered on beaches and roads near the frontier before being turned back by security forces. Some of those involved have been teenagers, raising particular concerns among child protection groups.
Officials said investigations were under way to identify the accounts behind the online campaign.
