Morocco: BCIJ arrests ISIS supporter in coordination with intelligence services and U.S. law enforcement agencies

Morocco’s Central Bureau of Judicial Investigation (BCIJ) arrested a 24-year-old ISIS supporter in Sale, Rabat’s twin city, Thursday.

The suspect was plotting terror acts across Morocco and had connections with another ISIS member, the BCIJ said in a statement released Friday evening.

This arrest is the result of bilateral cooperation relations and close coordination between the services of Morocco’s General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance (DGST), intelligence services and U.S. law enforcement agencies, as part of their joint efforts to confront the dangers of violent extremism and terrorist threats, the statement said.

Initial investigation revealed that the suspect had prepared digital content in which he pledged allegiance to the alleged emir of the ISIS terrorist organization and was planning to join the organization’s camps abroad before he recently decided to take part in a terrorist project in Morocco by using explosive devices, BCIJ underlined.

According to the investigation, the suspect made two attempts to prepare explosive devices, a fact which was confirmed by the searches carried out and which led to the seizure of electronic devices, materials and remains of products suspected of being used in the preparation of explosives.

This security operation shows the importance and effectiveness of bilateral cooperation between the DGST and the U.S. security and intelligence services in the area of the fight against violent extremism and terrorist dangers at the international level, the statement pointed out.

On Thursday, the US State Department highlighted in its Country Reports on Terrorism 2020 Morocco’s comprehensive counterterrorism approach and stressed that “the United States and Morocco have a long history of strong counterterrorism cooperation.”

The annual report welcomed the Kingdom’s efforts in the fight against terrorism, noting that “the Government of Morocco continued to implement its comprehensive strategy, which includes vigilant security measures, regional and international cooperation, and terrorist counter-radicalization policies”.

“In 2020, Morocco’s counterterrorism efforts largely mitigated its risk of terrorism,” the report found out.

“Moroccan law enforcement leveraged intelligence collection, police work, and collaboration with international partners to conduct counterterrorism operations,” the report underlined, noting that there were no reported terrorist incidents in Morocco in 2020.

Moroccan law enforcement agencies participated in a wide range of U.S.-sponsored programs to improve the country’s counterterrorism technical and investigative capabilities, including financial investigation, intelligence analysis, and cybersecurity, the document added.

The State Department highlighted Morocco’s policy to combat violent extremism, noting that “Morocco has a comprehensive CVE strategy that prioritizes economic and human development in addition to countering terrorist/violent extremist radicalization and oversight of the religious sphere”.

Since 2002, Moroccan security services have dismantled more than 2,000 terror cells, arrested over 3,353 people for their alleged involvement in terrorist activities, and aborted over 500 terrorist plots.