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Rabat – A statement from Central Bureau of Judicial Investigation (BCIJ) said today that the suspects, aged 25 and 18, were planning a terrorist attack to undermine the stability of the country.
Information from Morocco’s General Directorate for Territorial Surveillance (DGST) made the arrests possible.
The suspects, according to the press release, have links with the members of a terror cell arrested in July in Fez and Safi.
The suspects and the previously arrested members were allegedly coordinating to obtain weapons to commit terror attacks on sensitive locations across the country.
An initial investigation showed that the suspects also have links with ISIS outside the country to learn how to make explosive devices.
One of the suspects had previously been arrested in accordance to the law against terrorism
The statement said that the suspects were put in custody to investigate connections to further possible suspects.
Today’s arrests followed the arrest of an engineering student with alleged ties to ISIS in Mohammedia.
The BCIJ said that the suspect “was planning a terrorist attack to undermine the stability of the country by using an explosive belt.”
BCIJ has arrested a number of members of alleged terror cells with links to ISIS.
In July, BCIJ officials arrested seven pro-ISIS extremists operating in central Morocco, near Agadir and Marrakech.
In the same month, BCIJ arrested four suspects in four Moroccan cities: Casablanca, Nador, Tangier, and Tiznit.
Ever since the Marrakech terror attack in 2011, Morocco has modernized and upgraded its security system to fight radicalization and organized crime.
In October, BCIJ Chief Abdelhak Khiame told Maghreb Arab Press (MAP) that Morocco has dismantled 183 terror cells since 2002.
Fifty-one out of the 57 cells dismantled since 2015 were allegedly connected with ISIS.
“The strength of Morocco in the fight against terrorism is mainly due to the close collaboration between the various services responsible for ensuring security,” said Khiame.
