Morocco foils dangerous ISIS-affiliated cell plot
The schemes targeted sensitive facilities and public security.
Written by Ziad Abdel Fattah:
Foiled Authorities Moroccan, on Monday, dangerous terrorist plots targeting sensitive facilities and public security were carried out by a cell loyal to the Islamic State operating in the African Sahel region.
The Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations announced, in an official statement, the arrest of 10 suspects during simultaneous security operations that included several cities, including Agadir, Taroudant, Casablanca, El Hajeb, Tetouan, Fqih Ben Salah, and Safi.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the cell members declared their allegiance to ISIS and received direct instructions from leaders affiliated with the organization in the Sahel region to carry out attacks within Moroccan territory.
Morocco Seizes Military-Style Clothing
The inspections resulted in the seizure of bladed weapons, military-style clothing, documents containing instructions for making explosives, as well as digital media and chemicals suspected of being used in preparing terrorist operations.
Security forces also found a modified car, believed to have been prepared for a suicide attack or a ramming operation, in addition to gas cylinders and pressure cookers, some filled with nails and connected to electrical wires, inside a warehouse used by the cell.
This operation highlights the growing threat of extremist groups in the Sahel region, amid the expansion of ISIS and al-Qaeda activities in countries such as Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.
According to data from the Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations, ISIS branches in Africa have successfully recruited over 130 Moroccan combatants in recent years.
Since its establishment in 2015, the security apparatus has managed to dismantle dozens of terrorist cells and apprehend over 1000 individuals suspected of links to extremist organizations.
It is reported that the last terrorist attack witnessed by the Kingdom was in 2023, when a Moroccan police officer was killed by three elements loyal to ISIS in the city of Casablanca.
