Morocco foils ISIS attack plot, arrests 10 suspects

Shafaq News- Rabat

Moroccan counterterrorism authorities arrested 10 suspects accused of pledging allegiance to ISIS and plotting attacks on sensitive targets, the Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations (BCIJ) stated on Monday.

The cell operated under an alleged “emir” who assigned members specific roles, including selecting targets and procuring equipment. The suspects, among them a minor, were detained during coordinated raids across seven cities, which comprised Agadir, Taroudant, Casablanca, Hajeb, Tetouan, Fqih Ben Salah, and Safi.

According to the agency, the operation uncovered bomb-making materials, chemicals, military uniforms, extremist literature, and a four-wheel-drive vehicle with a modified fuel tank believed to have been intended for a suicide bombing or vehicle-ramming attack, while also seizing butane gas cylinders, pressure cookers packed with nails, electrical components, and chemical substances used to assemble improvised explosive devices.

Authorities are investigating the cell's suspected links to ISIS's Sahel branch and examining possible domestic and international connections. Official BCIJ figures indicate that the group’s African affiliates have recruited more than 130 Moroccan fighters in recent years.

Since its establishment in 2015, the BCIJ has dismantled dozens of militant cells and detained more than 1,000 suspected ISIS members. Morocco’s most recent ISIS-linked attack occurred in 2023, when three militants killed a police officer in Casablanca.