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Rabat – Morocco’s Central Bureau of Judiciary Investigations (BCIJ) has dismantled a terrorist cell comprised of six members living in Casablanca, Mohammedia (30 kilometers northeast of Casablanca), and Azilal (270 kilometers southeast of Casablanca).
The BCIJ made the arrests on Tuesday, January 4, based on precise information delivered by its mother organization, the General Directorate for Territorial Surveillance (DGST), announced a press release from Morocco’s interior ministry.
The cell members were aged between 18 and 59 years and hold extremist ideologies, according to the ministry.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects were affiliated with ISIS. They were planning to commit acts of terrorism across Morocco in order to proclaim the country as a wilaya (province) of ISIS, adds the statement.
Authorities put the suspects into custody pending investigations to arrest other accomplices, concludes the document.
The arrests are part of Morocco’s efforts to detect terrorist networks and preserve its security and stability.
In November 2019, the US State Department published its 2018 Country Report on Terrorism for Morocco, commending Morocco’s efficient handling of terrorist threats.
According to the report, Morocco’s counterterrorism efforts effectively mitigated the risks of terrorism in 2016, 2017, and 2018.
The document noted that Morocco continues to face terrorist threats, mainly from small, independent extremist cells. The majority of the cells are affiliated with or inspired by ISIS.
Morocco is an active participant in the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS and the current co-chair of the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF).
Regionally, Morocco is a member of the African Union Peace and Security Council and a partner in the Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership (TSCTP).
Morocco is also a member of the Middle East and North Africa Financial Action Task Force (MENAFATF), as an effort to prevent the financing of terrorist organizations.
