Counterterrorism: 12 Alleged Terrorists, Criminals Arrested in Tangier, Casablanca
Part of Morocco’s relentless fight against terrorism and criminal rings, the Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations (BCIJ), in coordination with the General Directorate of National Security (DGSN), arrested 12 people accused of belonging to a terrorist and criminal network operating in Tangiers and Casablanca.
Among those arrested are people with criminal records, convicted for common crimes, and former detainees in cases of terrorism and extremism, announces a joint statement issued by the DGNS and the Directorate General of Territorial Surveillance (DGST).
According to the statement, the brother of one of the suspects has joined Daesh and is fighting on the Syrian-Iraqi front.
Investigations have established connections between this cell and a criminal network involved in the trafficking of drugs and psychotropic substances, kidnapping and sequestration with ransom demand, the use of knives, tear gas and Molotov cocktails, and the use of cars with false license plates.
The criminal operations were carried out either in the context of settling scores with other criminal networks or in accordance with what is called in the jargon of the extremists, the principle of “al istihlal” and “faya’â” (legitimation), notes the statement.
According to the statement, the members of this cell have forced entry in the flat of an alleged drug dealer in Tangier last Friday. The alleged drug dealer was found dead on the pavement after a fall from his 7th floor flat.
The investigations carried out in this case resulted in the seizure of a range of products and weapons used in the execution of criminal operations. These included masks, bladed weapons, electronic scales, five car license plates, in addition to the booty of several criminal operations such as electronic devices, CDs, cell phones, radical books, money transfers receipts and fake id documents. A smartwatch, four cars, hard drugs and large sums of money were also seized, the statement said.
