Morocco’s central bureau for judicial investigations (BCIJ) announced on Monday that they had dismantled a terrorist cell linked to the Islamic State’s affiliate in the Sahel region, thwarting a highly dangerous plot that had reached an advanced stage of preparation.
According to BCIJ, the operation was launched following precise intelligence provided by the General Directorate for Territorial Surveillance (DGST).
Security forces carried out simultaneous raids in the cities of Agadir, Taroudant, Casablanca, El Hajeb, Tetouan, Fquih Ben Salah, and Safi, leading to the arrest of ten individuals suspected of preparing attacks against public security, critical infrastructure, and civilian targets.
The detainees were part of an extremist network that maintained operational and logistical links with the Islamic State’s branch operating in the Sahel and Sahara region, BCIJ said in a statement.
Investigators believe the group had progressed significantly in planning attacks and had established a structured division of responsibilities among its members, including target selection, reconnaissance, surveillance, and the acquisition of materials needed for future operations.
The searches uncovered weapons, military-style clothing, extremist documents, electronic devices, and propaganda material associated with ISIS. Authorities also recovered handwritten manuscripts containing detailed instructions on the manufacture of explosive devices, as well as digital recordings featuring pledges of allegiance to the terrorist organization and threats to carry out attacks inside Morocco, it said.
In a warehouse in Inzegane, security forces found a modified four-wheel-drive vehicle that investigators believe was being prepared for use in a terrorist operation.
Inside the warehouse, authorities also seized several butane gas cylinders, pressure cookers, electrical wiring, welding equipment, and various solid and liquid chemical substances.
Some of the pressure cookers had reportedly been filled with nails, while others were connected to electrical components. The recovered materials are undergoing forensic analysis to determine their intended use and whether they were part of an operational bomb-making effort.
Moroccan authorities said preliminary investigations indicate that members of the cell had pledged allegiance to the self-proclaimed leader of ISIS and had recently received direct instructions from operatives linked to the terrorist group’s Sahel branch.
