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Rabat – Morocco’s Central Bureau of Judicial Investigation (BCIJ) dismantled today a four-member ISIS cell in the Marrakech-Safi region.
The members of the cell are aged between 22 and 28 and were plotting terror acts across Morocco, according to a statement from the BCIJ.
The leader of the cell was also planning to join ISIS in the Sahel, a region that security experts frequently described as a breeding ground for terrorist cells.
The cell leader had connections with one senior ISIS operative of a foreign nationality, BCIJ said. The contact, who lives outside of his country, convinced the leader of the Marrakech-Safi terror cell to join conflict zones in the Sahel, added the BCIJ’s statement.
BCIJ carried out technical tracking of the cell, which led security services to collect data on the terror projects aimed at undermining Morocco’s stability.
Investigations show that the “emir” of the dismantled cell acquired professional skills in the field of “welding” to manufacture and prepare knives and traditionally made explosives to carry out terrorist attacks.
The leader of the cell already carried out practical experiments to manufacture and operate these explosive materials, before acquiring chemicals used in the manufacture of explosive devices from a commercial store in Marrakesh.
The ISIS-affiliated cell was planning to implement their terror plot after they finished identifying “immediate targets,” including security headquarters, and people, noted the statement.
The members of the cell, who are said to have been inspired by the “lone wolf” ISIS method, were planning to attack and murder specific people using different weapons, including knives.
Research and investigation data show that the members of this terrorist cell were planning to recruit young children, with the aim of spreading extremist ideology by organizing “advocacy meetings” for the benefit of minors in the Sidi Zouine area, 41.7 kilometers from Marrakech.
BCIJ seized weapons of various sizes, information equipment, a welding machine, and chemicals thought to have been used in the preparation and manufacturing of explosive devices.
BCIJ agents arrested the cell members in their homes and in a shop attached to the residence of the main suspect.
The chemical substances discovered in suspects’ homes included 50 kilograms of nitrate ammonium, three kilograms of “potash sulfate,” four cans containing toxic substances, three bags of 800 grams containing suspicious chemical powders, as well as electrical wires and a scale.
BCIJ also identified in the residence of one of the suspects a door bearing the slogan and banner of ISIS.
The suspects are in custody, pending further investigations to shed more light on their connections and the terror projects they were planning.
BCIJ said that the security operation confirms the “continued growth of terrorist threats” targeting citizens’ safety and security.
The operation came three weeks after BCIJ carried out a similar operation on June 1 in which it dismantled two suspects aged 24 and 37 active in the Fez-Meknes province and Beni Khellad in Taza, northern Morocco.
The cell members were planning terrorist actions, seeking to target vital establishments and security headquarters.
