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Morocco’s security services arrested on Wednesday 50 suspects in a new counterterrorism operation.
The authorities put over 20 suspects in custody for further investigations carried out by Morocco’s Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations (BCIJ) and the National Brigade of the Judicial Police (BNPJ).
The arrests, which took place in simultaneous operations, covered 13 cities across Morocco including Casablanca, Mohammedia, Fez, Marrakech, Agadir, Azilal, Meknes, Taza, Tetouan, Larache, Safi, Kenitra, and Sidi Kacem.
According to state media news outlet SNRTNews, the suspects caught the security services’ attention for suspicious activities showing links to extremist organizations such as ISIS and Al Qaeda.
Search operations at the suspects’ homes enabled security services to seize knives, manuscripts preaching terrorist ideologies, and guides for the manufacturing of explosives.
The arrest is one of largest counterterrorism operations in Morocco, which has acknowledged the persistence of terrorism threats in the MENA region and the African continent.
Last week, Morocco called on the African Union’s Peace and Security Council to prioritize a regional approach to tackle the growing threats of terrorism and violent extremism – particularly in the Sahel.
The North African country also recalled the importance of a shared responsibility approach as an effective mechanism to tackle the challenges plaguing the region.
Moroccan security forces frequently carry out similar operations as part of their counterterrorism efforts. One of the recent operations took place on May 29, when authorities dismantled a three-member terrorist cell in Tangier.
On July 19, Morocco’s BCIJ also announced that it teamed up with Spanish services to arrest two ISIS suspects in Nador and Spain’s Lerida.
The two suspects have links to and are affiliated with ISIS groups active in Syrian conflict zones, security services announced in a previous statement.
