Rabat- Morocco’s Central Bureau of Judicial Investigation (BCIJ) discovered photos of Polisario member, Adnan Abu Walid Al-Sahrawi, among the seized material after dismantling an ISIS-linked terror cell in Tangier.
Special forces from the General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance (DGST) and BCIJ identified the pictures of Abu Al Walid during their operation, leading to the arrest of the cell’s five extremist members who were plotting imminent terrorist threats in Morocco.
Abu Al Walid Sahrawi was one of the most wanted ISIS suspects, notorious for his terror threats. He was the leader of ISIS in the Greater Sahara region.
French forces killed Walid Al Sahrawi in September in the Sahel region.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced the death of Al Sahrawi, calling it a significant victory.
“This is another major success in our fight against terrorist groups in the Sahel,” Macron said.
Born in Morocco’s Laayoune, Al-Sahrawi relocated to Algeria, where he trained and participated in the Polisario Front’s military operations, before joining ISIS.
Al-Sahrawi posed a threat to the national security of many countries in the region, including Morocco. In an audio recording sent to the Middle-East news outlet, Al-Jazeera, Al-Sahrawi urged jihadists to begin “targeting Western tourists present at different resorts throughout Morocco.”
In October 2019, the US placed a $5 million (MAD 42 million) bounty for the capture of Al Sahrawi.
After he was killed, US officials issued an official press release announcing Al Walid’s death.
Ned Price, the spokesman of the US Department of State, said the US “welcomed” France for its operation against Al-Sahrawi, and acknowledged the country’s “continued commitment” to counter-terrorism operations in the Sahel region.
In 2017, Morocco’s security services identified 100 Polisario members who are associated with ISIS.
Read more: Morocco’s BCIJ Aborts Imminent Terrorist Plot, Dismantles ISIS-Linked Cell
