Morocco says it foiled terror plots, arrests 10 suspects in 7 cities

Moroccan security authorities said Monday they foiled “terrorist plots” and arrested 10 suspects in seven cities on suspicion of belonging to a cell affiliated with the ISIS/Daesh terror group.

The Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations, which operates under the General Directorate for Territorial Surveillance, said in a statement that it thwarted “terrorist plots” that aimed at seriously undermining public order and the safety of people and property.

The bureau said 10 suspects were arrested in coordinated operations in the cities of Agadir, Taroudant, Tetouan, El Hajeb, Fquih Ben Salah, Casablanca and Safi “on suspicions of receiving support and guidance from the ISIS branch” in the Sahel region.

Those arrested include a former terrorism convict and a minor, the statement added.

The bureau said that the suspects “had received direct instructions and communications from leaders of the ISIS’s Sahel branch ordering them to remain in Morocco to carry out the group's agenda while postponing plans to travel to the group's strongholds abroad.”

Searches uncovered military-style clothing, extremist writings containing detailed instructions for assembling explosive devices, digital storage devices and visual materials, including two recordings containing pledges of allegiance to ISIS and explicit threats to carry out attacks inside Morocco, the bureau said.

Authorities also seized bladed weapons and equipment that investigators said were intended for use in the attack plans.

In the city of Inezgane, investigators found a sport utility vehicle whose fuel tank had been modified at a clandestine workshop to operate on butane gas. Authorities said the vehicle was intended for use in a suicide bombing or vehicle-ramming attack targeting sensitive facilities.

The bureau said the investigation is being conducted under the supervision of Morocco's prosecutor for terrorism cases. Adult suspects have been placed in custody, while the minor has been placed under judicial supervision as investigators work to determine the cell's links to ISIS’s Sahel branch and identify any national or international connections.

The ISIS’s Sahel affiliate is one of the group's most active branches in West Africa and has claimed responsibility for attacks across several countries in the region.

Morocco periodically announces the dismantling of suspected extremist cells and says its security services have broken up more than 200 terrorist cells since 2003.