Rabat – The Indo-Asian News Service has reported that Morocco’s security services provided “sensitive intelligence” to Sri Lanka to help identify suspects in the attacks on several churches and hotels on Easter Sunday, April 21.
The newswire said that the information “was also shared with India” because Morocco and India have a “strong counter-terror cooperation.”
In February, Rabat and New Delhi signed a memorandum of understanding to fight terrorism.
The signing took place during the visit of India’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sushma Swaraj to Morocco.
Morocco provided the information, according to the newswire, within 48 hours of the attacks, which killed more than 350 people and injured approximately 500 others. One Moroccan woman was among the injured.
The information helped Sri Lanka arrest nine suspects and identify their alleged ISIS handlers.
Read Also: Moroccan Woman Among Injured in Sri Lanka Blasts
ISIS claimed responsibility for the heinous attacks on three churches and three hotels across Sri Lanka.
Acknowledging Morocco’s leadership in countering terrorism, the newswire said that Morocco has “one of the successful records of counter-terrorism and de-radicalization in the Islamic world.”
Since the 2003 attack in Casablanca, Morocco committed to strengthening its security to combat extremists and terror cells.
Morocco also created the Central Bureau of Judicial Investigation (BCIJ) in 2015, which works with all Morocco’s security bodies, such us Morocco’s general directorates of national security (DGSN) and territorial surveillance (DGST) to raid terror cells across Morocco.
Read Also: Morocco’s BCIJ Chief: War Against ISIS Will Take a Long Time
On April 24, Morocco arrested a seven-member terror cell which was plotting to undermine the security of the country. The operation is one of many that BCIJ has carried out throughout the year against terrorists.
Morocco also has several international counterterrorism cooperations with powerful intelligence agencies, including in the US, Spain, and France.
