Morocco says it dismantled Islamic State cell that was planning attacks

SALE, Morocco (AP) — Moroccan authorities this month arrested a dozen people they said were planning attacks on behalf of the Islamic State in the Sahel, a region south of the Sahara Desert, officials said Monday.

The discovery of the terrorist cell and what authorities called an “imminent dangerous terrorist plot” reflect the expanding ambitions of extremist groups in the region.

Authorities did not provide details of the suspects’ motives or their plot, beyond saying they planned to set off bombs remotely. They released photographs and videos showing officers raiding terrorist cells throughout the country.

The images showed weapons stockpiles found during police raids, Islamic State flags drawn on walls, and thousands of dollars of cash.

“Morocco remains a major target in the agenda of all terrorist organizations operating in the Sahel,” Habboub Cherkaoui, the head of Morocco’s Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations, said at a news conference.

Militant groups have been expanding their presence in the Sahel, capitalizing on instability in countries including Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. Since French troops began withdrawing almost two years ago, the Islamic State in the Sahel has launched deadly campaigns and taken control of lucrative transit routes.

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Groups like Islamic State in the Sahel have found support in impoverished communities that feel neglected by their governments. Their growth has destabilized and in several cases contributed to the overthrow of elected leaders. It has alarmed neighboring states — including in North Africa and coastal west Africa — and worried western powers concerned about militant groups using their regional bases to orchestrate violence elsewhere.

Authorities said the Morocco-based cell called itself “the Lions of the Caliphate in the Maghreb” and took direction from Islamic State in the Sahel commanders. More than a year of tracking done by Morocco’s General Directorate for Territorial Surveillance showed Islamic State in the Sahel commanders worked to recruit, arm and direct sympathizers to carry out attacks in Morocco.

The weapons found include materials to make explosives including nail bombs, dynamite and gas cylinders as well as knives, rifles and hand guns whose serial numbers had been scratched off.

Investigators said the 12 men arrested ranged from 18 to 40 years old and were apprehended in nine different cities, including Casablanca, Fez and Tangier. The majority were unmarried and had not finished high school. They have not yet been charged under Morocco’s anti-terrorism laws.

Based on materials gathered in raids last week, authorities were able to locate a cache of weapons in the desert near Morocco’s border with Algeria, including firearms and ammunition wrapped in newspapers printed in Mali in late January.

Authorities said the suspects arrested this month had maintained ties to Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi, a militant leader born in the Morocco-controlled Western Sahara who was killed by French forces in 2021. In the years since, they took direction from the Libyan commander Abderrahmane Sahraoui, who oversees the group’s operations outside the Sahel.

Episodes of violence would be particularly damaging in Morocco, where the economy relies heavily on tourism. More than 17 million people visited the North African Kingdom last year and the tourism industry makes up more than 7% of its GDP.

Morocco is the only in North Africa not to have experienced a major terrorist attack for more than a decade. But its security services regularly underscore that the threat remains and claim attacks are regularly foiled when terrorist cells are dismantled. They have in recent years claimed to have dismantled 40 such cells, including one as recently as January.

Cherkaoui said the operation revealed that Islamic State in the Sahel aimed to expand and establish operations in Morocco or recruit Moroccans to fight abroad, including most recently in Somalia. He said the groups “do not hide their desire to target Morocco through propaganda platforms” and said Morocco’s aggressive counterterrorism posture made it a target.

Morocco has worked to present itself as a regional leader in combatting violent extremism, forging deeper ties with new governments throughout the Sahel, including Mali, with which it signed a joint military cooperation agreement last month.

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Associated Press reporters Baba Ahmed and Akram Oubachir contributed reporting from Bamako, Mali and Casablanca, Morocco.