Morocco Foils Planned Attacks, Arrests 10 Suspects

Moroccan security authorities say they have disrupted a suspected terrorist plot after dismantling a militant cell linked to the Islamic State’s Sahel affiliate, preventing what officials described as planned attacks on strategic sites and public security.

The Central Bureau for Judicial Investigations (BCIJ) said 10 suspects were arrested during coordinated operations in Agadir, Taroudant, Casablanca, Hajeb, Tetouan, Fqih Ben Salah and Safi. Officials said the raids followed intelligence that the group was in the final stages of preparing attacks.

Investigators said those arrested had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State and were operating under instructions from the group’s Sahel branch, which has strengthened its presence in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger in recent years.

Searches carried out during the operation led to the recovery of bladed weapons, military-style clothing, chemical substances and handwritten documents containing bomb-making instructions. Officers also seized electronic devices believed to have been used to coordinate the group’s activities.

Authorities said investigators found a modified vehicle suspected of being intended for use in either a suicide bombing or a vehicle-ramming attack. At a warehouse linked to the suspects, security personnel also recovered butane gas cylinders and pressure cookers fitted with nails and electrical wiring, which they believe were being prepared as improvised explosive devices.

The BCIJ said more than 130 Moroccan citizens have joined Islamic State affiliates across Africa in recent years. Since the agency was created in 2015, it has broken up dozens of suspected militant cells and arrested over 1,000 people in counterterrorism operations.

Investigations are continuing as authorities work to establish whether other individuals were involved and to determine the full scope of the network’s activities.

SOURCE: Reuters