Morocco says it has broken up ‘Islamic State’ cell

Morocco’s counterterrorism agency said on Monday it had foiled attacks planned by the so-called Islamic State group (IS) in the Sahel region, south of the Sahara Desert.

The discovery of the 12-member terror cell and what authorities called an “imminent dangerous terrorist plot,” is an indication of the expanding ambitions of extremist groups in the region, according to the counterterrorism unit.

What did the plot entail?

Moroccan authorities did not offer details on the suspects’ motives or their plot, but they did reveal that the group planned to cause bombs to explode remotely.

Authorities released images and videos showing officers raiding cells across Morocco, underscoring the threat emanating from jihadist militancy in the Sahel, as groups linked to the Islamic State and al-Qaida grow in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.

The images showed weapons stockpiles, Islamic State flags drawn on walls, and thousands of dollars in 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.

Arrested in nine different cities, the suspects, aged between 18 and 40 and radicalized online, had been receiving orders from a Libyan leader of the Islamic State, according to Cherkaoui.

“The African branches of IS tend to internationalize their activities”, Cherkaoui said, adding that the nexus between “terrorist groups and criminal networks is a real threat” to Morocco and Europe.

What’s the recent history of IS in the region?

In recent years, IS branches in Africa have recruited more than 130 Moroccan fighters, Cherkaoui added.

The last jihadist attack in Morocco was in 2023, when three individuals loyal to the Islamic State killed a policeman in Casablanca.

Following the withdrawal of French troops from the region, the Islamic State in the Sahel has launched deadly campaigns and taken control of lucrative transit routes.

Edited by: Louis Oelofse