Morocco foils terrorist attacks planned by ISIS sympathizers
Moroccan security services have arrested 13 people in a number of cities on suspicion of links to the Islamic State (IS) group and planning to target vital security institutions and facilities, underscoring the high level of vigilance that has spared the Kingdom from terrorist attacks and ranked it as a reliable partner for the West and the United States in the fight against terrorism.
“The suspects, aged between 19 and 49, were arrested in security operations in the cities of Casablanca, Beni Mellal, Mohammedia, Khenifra, Temara, Tiflet, Tangier, Ksar El-Kebir, Rissani and Berkan,” the Central Bureau for Judicial Investigation (BCIJ) of Egypt’s Internal Intelligence Service said in a statement on Thursday.
Some of the detainees were preparing to carry out sabotage operations targeting security personnel, institutions and vital sensitive facilities, he said, adding that they had already begun preparing for these operations by tracking and identifying targets and trying to gather information on how to make explosives.
“Some of the suspects managed to establish ties outside Morocco for the purpose of coordinating their entry into an ISIS branch, particularly in the Sahel and Moroccan Sahara,” he said.
The Moroccan authorities are implementing a proactive counter-terrorism plan that has succeeded in dismantling dozens of terrorist cells since the suicide bombings that rocked Casablanca in May 2003.
For years, Morocco has adopted a comprehensive approach in the fight against terrorism, and also dried up the sources of extremism through the adoption of scientific curricula based on awareness of the dangers of religious extremism, the consolidation of the principles of tolerance and coexistence, and the cooperation of Western partners to curb the phenomenon that has spread in recent years.
Moroccan security services have managed on several occasions to thwart terrorist attacks in European countries through reliable information and cooperation, leading to the arrest of extremists who were planning attacks in Europe.
A 2021 U.S. counterterrorism report concluded that Morocco is a reliable counterterrorism partner and has largely succeeded in curbing the growth of terrorist activity.
The report pointed to Morocco’s efforts in the fight against terrorism at home, regionally and internationally, its success in arresting a large number of terrorists and dismantling terrorist cells that were planning to carry out attacks against a range of vital targets, government and security figures and headquarters, as well as foreign headquarters.
Morocco has been successful in capitalizing on its partnerships with international actors, enabling the Moroccan authorities to take advantage of intelligence gathering, security work, and international cooperation to successfully combat terrorism.
The Kingdom has also participated in numerous counter-terrorism programs organized by the United States with the aim of enhancing performance, technical and investigative capabilities, intelligence analysis, as well as issues related to cybersecurity.
“Morocco plays a pivotal role in maintaining the region’s stability, based on its significant influence in its neighborhood, especially after having imposed itself a difficult figure in regional equilibrium balances and economic and security partnerships in a volatile geopolitical space.”
The importance of relying on Morocco for European powers is growing in the face of growing security challenges and the expansion of terrorist groups in the Sahel, while these Moroccan security and military successes have worried eastern neighbor Algeria.
“Morocco is also leading regional and international efforts to address many security challenges in the Western Mediterranean, whether related to counterterrorism, clandestine migration, or human trafficking, which has made the kingdom trusted by many Western countries and powers.”
The Kingdom has made significant progress in the development of its military and security forces through military cooperation agreements with a number of countries, the diversification of arms sources and an interest in military technologies, especially drones, to which many armies and security services have become beholden to preserve security and stability, especially at borders.
