Daesh member preparing attacks in Morocco arrested in Marrakech
Marrakech Judicial Police officers arrest a suspected Daesh member and seize chemical and electronic materials
Members of the Marrakech Judicial Police have arrested a supporter of the Daesh terrorist organisation suspected of preparing large-scale attacks against sensitive locations in the country.
The information was provided by the Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations (BCIJ), a body attached to the General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance.
Explosive material
According to the BCIJ communiqué, the detainee is an 18-year-old individual with links to the Daesh terrorist group, who had sworn allegiance to the so-called emir of this extremist organisation. Apparently, the detainee had acquired specialised knowledge in the manufacture of explosive devices, with which he intended to carry out various attacks.
Precisely, the Judicial Police seized, at the time of the arrest, electronic material, a plastic bottle containing a suspicious liquid and a quantity of a powdered chemical compound, which have been sent to the laboratory for analysis and evaluation.
The Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations also explained that the detainee had established contacts with Daesh intermediaries in order to join one of the cells that this organisation has in the Sahel.
The detainee has been handed over to the judicial investigation, in particular to the prosecutor in charge of terrorism, to establish the offences for which he will be charged and to identify his possible links with other terrorist organisations.
International cooperation
The close collaboration of Morocco's Directorate General of Territorial Surveillance with foreign intelligence services has been key to the success of this counter-terrorism operation, which underlines the country's commitment to addressing the growing threat from ISIS and other terrorist organisations.
Morocco has long called for international security threats emanating from the Sahel region to be a shared responsibility.
Arrest of another Daesh cell in Marrakech
It should be recalled that Moroccan counter-terrorism authorities already dismantled a Daesh-affiliated terrorist cell in the Marrakech-Safi region in June 2023.
As Atalayar reported on that occasion, this cell consisted of four members, aged between 22 and 28, residing in the rural commune of Sidi Zouine, about seven kilometres from the centre of Marrakech.
On that occasion, the authorities reported that the terrorists planned to attack vital installations and security force barracks, and to attack people with knives.
They were also seized various chemical compounds that were to be used in the manufacture of explosive devices.