Morocco: terror plot foiled, arresting ISIS-linked cell
Shafaq News/ Morocco’s Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations (BCIJ) announced on Wednesday the thwarting of a terrorist plot orchestrated by a leader of the ISIS group in the Sahel region.
According to a statement from the General Directorate of
National Security and Territorial Surveillance, the operation was carried out
simultaneously across several cities, including Laayoune, Casablanca, Fes,
Taounate, Tangiers, Azemmour, Jerrada, Ouled Taima, and Tamsna, a suburb of
Rabat. Twelve extremists, aged between 18 and 40, were arrested.
The group had pledged allegiance to ISIS and was involved in
planning and coordinating dangerous terrorist attacks, the statement added.
A Moroccan source revealed that explosive devices were
seized from a house linked to the suspects in the Tamsna area. The devices
included four modified gas canisters containing nails and chemical materials,
connected with pipes and electrical wires designed to be detonated remotely by
mobile phones.
Additionally, a
suspicious pressure cooker bomb containing nails and chemicals used in making
explosives was discovered. The house also contained a large number of various
knives, US dollars, and bags with suspicious chemical substances.
Intelligence sources suggest the terrorist cell was
connected to a senior ISIS leader in the Sahel region, who holds the position
of head of the so-called "External Operations Committee," responsible
for expanding terrorist activities outside the Sahel and Sahara regions.
The ISIS leader reportedly oversaw financial funding and
logistical support for the cell and provided digital materials detailing how to
carry out the attacks.
Moreover, Security information further indicates that the cell members had recently conducted field operations to identify potential targets across several Moroccan cities and had obtained approval from the ISIS Sahel branch for their terrorist plans. They received a video endorsing the operation and encouraging its execution, signaling the transition to the next phase of preparing for the attacks.
