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Rabat – The Moroccan Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations (BCIJ) and Spanish authorities carried out a joint counterterrorism operation, during which several terror suspects were arrested in Nador, Morocco’s Oriental region, and in the Spanish enclave of Melilla.
The BCIJ arrested one suspect active in Farkhana, in Nador. The arrest was simultaneous with another counterterrorism operation in Melilla, where other suspects including a former detainee who joined terrorist organizations in the Sahel were arrested.
Preliminary investigations have shown that the arrested suspects were also involved in recruiting other individuals into their terrorist operations, the General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance (DGST) said in a statement.
The suspect arrested in Morocco is in custody for further investigations to determine and identify any possible links or other terrorist plots seeking to undermine Morocco’s stability.
The arrests came less than a week after a similar joint Spanish-Moroccan counterterrorism operation.
Last week on Saturday, Spanish police said they dismantled a network that helped plan and finance the activities of ISIS members.
The Spanish police said they carried out the operation in collaboration with Morocco’s DGST.
The operation is part of the two countries’ efforts to fight against extremism and terrorism.
The two countries have frequently reiterated their determination to scale up counterterrorism cooperation to tackle security threats.
Spanish Foreign Affairs Minister Jose Manuel Albares emphasized the importance of this cooperation during his recent visit to Morocco, where he met with senior officials to discuss bilateral ties last week.
Ahead of his visit, Albares emphasized in an interview that the win-win cooperation between the two countries covers several areas, including the fight against human trafficking and terrorism among other security challenges.
