Morocco’s Central Bureau of Judicial Investigation (BCIJ) busted on Friday a five-member terrorist cell in Safi, a city located in Western Morocco. The cell included a former detainee jailed for his involvement in terror-related charges with ISIS.
The suspects are aged between 21-36 Morocco’s Ministry of Interior said in a statement.
Investigations by the Security services found that the suspects had pledged allegiance to ISIS and were planning to join fighters in Syrian and Iraqi combat zones in coordination with members on the ground.
The suspects were also planning terror plots to undermine the security and stability of Morocco.
The BCIJ seized several electronic devices and knives, in addition to radicalized scripts, added the statement.
According to the ministry, one of the suspects “attempted to exploit his presence in a sub-Saharan country to obtain sponsors to join a group affiliated to ISIS, which is active in the Sahel region.
Police have put the suspects in custody for further investigations.
Since December 2018, BCIJ has arrested 918 people for terror-related crimes, including 14 women and 29 minors.
The number of terror cells and suspects for terror-related crimes has increased in Morocco. BCIJ has been especially active in the first two months of 2019, arresting a number of Isis-linked terrorism suspects between January and February.
In January, the bureau dismantled a 13-member terror cell for their alleged ISIS ties.
