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Join on Telegram Rabat – Morocco’s Central Bureau of Investigations (BCIJ) has announced the arrest of an ISIS suspect in the city of Nador today.
The ISIS suspect had been operating between Spain and Morocco, according to a statement from the General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance (DGST).
The arrest is also part of a joint security operation with Spanish Civil Guard services who also arrested another ISIS suspect in the city of Lerida in conjunction with the Moroccan security operation.
The statement from DGST suggests that the two ISIS suspects have links and are affiliated with ISIS groups active in Syrian conflict zones. The suspects were preparing to carry out terrorist operations in Europe based on the instructions of ISIS leaders, police sources said.
Investigations have also confirmed that the suspects were in contact with an irregular migration network to obtain forged identity documents to use them in implementing terrorist plots.
DGST put the suspect arrested in Morocco’s Nador in custody pending further investigations to determine the circumstances of the case.
The arrest shed light on the importance of security and intelligence cooperation between Morocco and its partners in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism, noted the DGST statement.
Spain and Morocco frequently cooperate in similar joint operations to tackle terrorism threats, dismantling ISIS terrorist cells.
One of such joint operations came in October 2022, when both countries dismantled a cell operation In Morocco as well as the Spanish enclave of Melilla.
Over the past year, the two countries have taken many steps to cement their growing multisectoral relations, with Spain repeatedly describing Morocco as a strategic and essential partner in a wide range of common, shared interest areas.
