Morocco arrests IS supporter in joint probe with FBI

RABAT - The Central Bureau for Judicial Investigations (BCIJ) arrested, early Friday, a supporter of the Daech organization, aged 37 years and active in the city of Berkane, for his alleged involvement in a terror plot aimed at seriously undermining public order.

The intervention and the arrest were conducted by the Special Force of the services of the General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance (DGST), in coordination and under the supervision, of the BCIJ judicial police, said the Bureau in a statement.

The suspect was arrested following close collaboration and coordination between the DGST and the relevant U.S. authorities, the same source added.

The suspect was identified and the outlines of his terror plot were revealed thanks to joint research and technical investigations with the FBI.

The preliminary data of the investigation showed that the arrested individual was running a closed group on an online communication platform with extremist objectives and projects, designed to enlist and recruit people imbued with "takfirist" ideology with a view to perpetrating terrorist acts against Moroccan and foreign interests and figures on the national territory.

The investigations carried out also revealed that the suspect was in contact with the alleged emir of the terrorist cell that was dismantled by the security services in the city of Oujda on March 25, 2021, the statement added.

The suspect was relying on his advanced technical training in engineering to infiltrate automated data processing systems and to hack into the computer systems of some vital targets, in order to ensure financial support as part of the so-called "istihlal."

The suspect was taken in custody to complete the judicial investigation conducted by the BCIJ under the supervision of the prosecutor's office in charge of terrorism cases, in order to uncover all the extremist activity attributed to him, to identify any links he may have with terrorist organizations inside and outside Morocco, and to identify all the details of the terror plot he was preparing and planning to commit.

This security operation shows, once again, the persistent threat of terrorism to our country, especially in a context where global terrorist organizations and regional clusters under them are working to increase their attacks on the security of the Kingdom and the safety of its citizens.

It also reflects the importance of the bilateral, joint and advanced cooperation with the United States in the area of the fight against terrorism and violent extremism, the statement concluded.