Morocco Willing to Foster Cooperation with Spain in Religious Sphere Reform

Morocco and Spain maintain close counterterrorism cooperation that includes the reform of the religious sphere and discourse as a key lever in fighting extremist ideologies, said the Spokesperson for the Moroccan government Mustapha El Khalfi.

Speaking following the weekly government meeting held Thursday, El Khalfi said that Morocco spares no effort to bring help to Spain as it leads investigations in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks that hit Catalonia.

Investigations are underway, he said, adding that pro-active measures have been taken to identify all those involved in such terrorist attacks, he said, noting the trans-border character of terrorism.

He said Moroccan-Spanish security cooperation stands as a model in the region as the two countries have led several successful joint operations against terrorist groups.

Terrorist ideology is continuously developing its plots taking advantage of the internet as a recruitment centre, El Khalfi noted.

In this respect, he stressed the need for international cooperation that takes into account the multi-dimensional character of counter-terrorism.

Moroccan authorities have arrested two people in Nador and Oujda, suspected of links to the perpetrators of the van attack that killed 13 people in the Spanish city of Barcelona.

Following these arrests, a team of Moroccan experts flew to Mardrid to offer support to Spanish investigators, part of Moroccan-Spanish cooperation against terrorism and organized crime.