Marrakech – Moroccan police arrested a 34-year-old French national in Tetouan on Monday, acting on precise intelligence from the General Directorate for Territorial Surveillance (DGST).
A screening through Interpol’s database confirmed the suspect was wanted under a Red Notice issued at the request of the National Central Bureau in Paris. He faces a judicial sentence for physically assaulting a woman in France in 2025.
The suspect was placed under extradition proceedings on instructions from the competent public prosecutor’s office. The National Central Bureau in Rabat, operating under Morocco’s General Directorate of National Security (DGSN), notified its French counterpart of the arrest.
Late last week, police in Marrakech arrested a 38-year-old French national of Senegalese origin wanted by judicial authorities in the Netherlands. A Red Notice from The Hague’s National Central Bureau linked him to charges of kidnapping, endangering personal safety, and violence committed in the Dutch city of Zeist. He was similarly placed under extradition proceedings.
Separately on Monday, Morocco’s Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations (BCIJ) announced the dismantlement of a cell linked to the Sahel branch of ISIS. The cell was suspected of preparing attacks at “an advanced stage.”
Ten suspects were arrested across seven cities: Agadir, Taroudant, Casablanca, El Hajeb, Tetouan, Fquih Ben Salah, and Safi. They included a former terrorism convict and a minor.
Searches at the suspects’ residences yielded bladed weapons, military uniforms, digital devices, and extremist materials related to the preparation of explosive devices.
In a warehouse in Inezgane, near Agadir, investigators discovered a 4×4 vehicle with a fuel tank modified in a clandestine workshop, intended for a possible suicide attack or vehicle-ramming operation against sensitive targets, according to the BCIJ.
Gas cylinders, pressure cookers, welding equipment, electrical cables, and chemical substances were also seized at the site. Residents nearby were evacuated before a specialized explosives team examined the vehicle using remote-controlled robots and sensors.
Initial findings indicated the suspects had pledged allegiance to the ISIS leader and received direct instructions from the group’s Sahel-Saharan branch. They were ordered to remain in Morocco to carry out attacks rather than travel to ISIS-controlled territories abroad.
Adult suspects were placed in custody. The minor was placed under a surveillance measure. The investigation is being conducted under the supervision of the terrorism prosecutor.
The UAE, Qatar, Jordan, Kuwait, and the Arab Parliament condemned the foiled plots and expressed solidarity with Morocco.
