Morocco arrests 10 in alleged ISIL-linked attack plot
Authorities said raids across several cities disrupted a cell tied to ISIL’s Sahel Province affiliate and uncovered weapons and bomb-making materials.
By Daniel Okafor · Business Editor
2 min read
Moroccan authorities said they arrested 10 people accused of belonging to a cell linked to ISIL’s Sahel Province affiliate and disrupted a planned attack. The case underscores Morocco’s continuing concern that armed groups active across the Sahel could reach into the kingdom.
The Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations, Morocco’s main counterterrorism agency, said Monday that coordinated raids took place in several Moroccan cities. The bureau said officers seized bladed weapons, military-style clothing, instructions for making explosives, digital material and chemicals.
Authorities also found a vehicle suspected of having been altered for use either in an explosive attack or a ramming attack, according to the bureau. Police said the alleged plot was at “an advanced stage of preparation.”
In one warehouse used by the group, investigators found butane gas cylinders and pressure cookers packed with nails and fitted with electrical wiring, authorities said. The bureau identified the alleged cell as connected to ISIL’s affiliate in Sahel Province, also known as ISSP.
Regional militant activity
AFP and Reuters reported that Morocco has avoided much of the violence that has affected parts of the Sahel and West Africa in recent years. Moroccan authorities say, however, that 130 citizens have been recruited by ISSP in recent years.
The last attack by an ISIL-affiliated group on Moroccan soil took place in 2023, when three men killed a police officer in Casablanca, according to the report. Moroccan security services have frequently announced arrests in terrorism-related cases, though details of court proceedings and alleged targets are often limited at the time of arrest.
Armed groups aligned with ISIL and al-Qaeda have expanded activity across the Sahel and West Africa in recent years, AFP and Reuters reported. The region has faced repeated attacks on towns, military sites and border communities.
In Mali, al-Qaeda affiliate Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, or JNIM, has taken advantage of a breakdown in state control to seize towns and cities, according to the report. The group also besieged the capital in November.
Mauritania, which borders Mali, has faced cross-border attacks by affiliated armed groups, AFP and Reuters reported. ISIL and al-Qaeda affiliates have also increased their presence in Burkina Faso and Niger.
Morocco’s announcement did not identify the cities where the raids were carried out or specify the intended target of the alleged attack. Authorities also did not disclose when the suspects were expected to appear in court.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.