Rabat – A report on crimes related to terrorism in Morocco shows that Morocco’s counterterrorism strategy is bearing fruit as the level of threat related to terror crimes has stabilized over the past two years.
The report, released by the Moroccan Public Prosecutor’s Office, was accompanied by a second report on the execution of criminal policy. The second report shows that 337 suspects appeared before the General Prosecutor’s Office at the Rabat Court of Appeal in 2018 for their alleged involvement in terror crimes, compared to 358 in the previous year
Quoting the report, Maghreb Arab Press (MAP) said that 66% of the cases went to trial while only 14% did not.
The report shows that 107 judicial proceedings, the highest number of cases, were carried out for inciting terrorism. Trials for extreme violence and manufacturing and possession of weapons were the second most prolific crime, with 19 trials apiece.
The list of crimes also includes the financing acts of terrorism, with 18 judicial proceedings, and involvement in terror groups which resulted in 13 judicial cases.
According to the report, “although Morocco has been the subject of terror threats like other countries, [the North African country] has managed to defeat the majority of terror plans aimed at causing serious harm to public order.”
The report also recalled that Morocco has dismantled several terror cells throughout the year.
In 2015, Morocco introduced the Central Bureau of Judicial Investigation (BCIJ), an agency which has significantly reinforced Morocco’s security policy.
The role of the BCIJ, which is the main body in charge of fighting terrorism, is well recognized. Several reports have cited the agency’s achievements in counterterrorism and its international collaboration to fight the issue.
The 2018 US Department report praised Morocco’s efforts, saying that the country has a “comprehensive counterterrorism strategy that includes vigilant security measures, regional and international cooperation.”
The BCIJ works in collaboration with Morocco’s General Directorate for National Security (DGSN), while the General Directorate for Territorial Surveillance (DGST) works with BCIJ to conduct border inspections at airports.
The report explained that Morocco’s record in countering terrorism was made possible thanks to the BCIJ as well as the National Criminal Police Brigade and the Royal Gendarmerie.
BCIJ has carried out several significant operations in the first six months of 2019, arresting a number of ISIS-linked terror suspects.
The latest arrest was on June 25, when BCIJ dismantled a four-member terrorist cell in Al Haouz in the Marrakech-Safi region.
Read also: Morocco’s BCIJ Raids 2 Farms Used by Terror Cell, Seizes Chemical Products
