In a significant crackdown on terrorism, Morocco’s Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations in collaboration with the General Directorate for Territorial Surveillance captured three individuals suspected of connections to ISIS. Searches carried out at the houses of three suspected members of the Islamic State (EI) in Morocco have led to the confiscation of electronic equipment, sharp weapons and a wooden plaque bearing the terrorist organisation’s emblem.
The Government of Morocco persisted in its comprehensive strategy, which includes vigilant security standards, regional and international collaboration, and counter-radicalization policies. Morocco’s CT efforts persisted to mitigate the risk of terrorism. The country continued to face intermittent threats from small, independent terrorist cells, the majority of which declared to be inspired by or affiliated with ISIS.
The convicts, aged between 18 and 39, were arrested in different raids in Fez, Fnideq and the rural community of Ouled Ghanem in El Jadida province. Describing the procedure, the BCIJ statement stated that DGST special forces carried out the raids based on intelligence supplied by the DGST.
Searches of the suspects’ homes led to the takeover of electronic devices, sharp weapons and a wooden board with the EI emblem. The authorities also retrieved extremist manuscripts, all of which will be subjected to digital forensic investigation. Initial investigations suggest that the suspects had sworn allegiance to the EI ‘caliph’ and were involved in plotting terrorist attacks. They had formulated bomb-making expertise with the purpose of targeting critical infrastructure in Morocco as a component of their ‘individual terrorism’ programme.
The suspects, who are currently in detention, are being investigated by the BCIJ, the anti-terrorist prosecutor’s office, which is supervising efforts to uncover their plans and any possible links to global terrorist groups. As part of its ongoing counter-terrorism measures, the BCIJ last month captured a 16-year-old man suspected of belonging to EI in the rural commune of Ourika, near Marrakech. The young suspect is expressed to have planned several serious attacks on sensitive sites in Morocco.
Moreover, In 2022, Moroccan law enforcement under the coordination of the Ministry of Interior targeted and captured at least 20 individuals in 10 CT operations, effectively disassembling cells in the early stages of plotting attacks against a range of targets, including public buildings, prominent figures, government security service facilities, and (as reported in the local press) foreigners.
