Paris – The Moroccan Counterterrorism Strategy is the fruit of a long process that was triggered following the Casablanca’s attacks in 2003, said director of Central Bureau for Judiciary Investigations (BCIJ) Abdelhak Khiame.
Morocco opted for a new security strategy with the adoption of a law on terrorism, the setting up of a biometric ID, and the creation of a community-based police and joint units of policemen and soldiers, Khiame told French weekly “Le Journal du Dimanche”, underlining that the Moroccan method relies on anticipation.
“We arrest people before they act. Those who return from a center of tension are systematically arrested, questioned and could be sentenced from 5 to 10 years in prison,” said BCIJ head, noting that “we intervene only under the supervision of the public prosecutor.”
He added that the State is conducting a multidimensional policy which includes also the religious and socio-economic aspects, recalling that most of young people involved in the 2003 attacks were from marginalized regions.
On actions by the Kingdom to counter ISIS strategy, the BCIJ head underlined that Morocco has always been a shield against terrorists and is, therefore, a target.
He added that the country reacted in time by dismantling a lot of cells which were dispatching volunteers to train in spots of tension to come back and perpetrate attacks here.
