 Rif raiding and piracy was widely reported in the Spanish press and produced the occasional sensational incident.In the early 1890s the Rif captured a Spanish merchant vessel and abducted its crew; a small rescue expedition headed by the Spanish cruiser "Isla de Luzon" concluded that the captives had been sold into slavery.Over the summer of 1893 a period of renewed agitation by the locals enabled García y Magallo to secure the funds for the expansion of fortifications surrounding the city.