Four Individuals Arrested for Alleged Involvement in Preparing Dangerous Terrorist Projects – Statement –

As part of the ongoing efforts to neutralize the dangers of terrorist threats, the Central Bureau of Judiciary Investigations (BCIJ), on the basis of information provided by the services of the General Directorate for Territory Surveillance (DGST), arrested early this Thursday morning four individuals aged between 25 and 32, for their alleged involvement in the preparation of dangerous terrorist projects aimed at undermining Morocco’s security and stability. Elements of the DGST’s Special Force began the intervention and arrest procedures in separate operations, targeting the suspects in the places where they are active in the cities of Tangier, Tetouan and Inezgane Ait Melloul, the DGST said in a statement. Searches carried out at the homes of the suspects led to seizing electronic equipment, edged weapons, documents promoting the ideology of “Daesh”, a manuscript on how to join the camps of this organization in the Sahel region, as well as a series of photos documenting terrorist attacks carried out by factions of this organization and calling on its supporters to fight in its ranks, in addition to a publication on the rules of secret action of terrorist organizations, the same source added. According to preliminary investigation data, the suspects, who pledged allegiance to the so-called caliph of “Daesh”, intended to carry out terrorist projects targeting vital facilities and security institutions as part of “individual terrorism” operations, the statement stressed, noting that the searches also revealed that one of the suspects underwent training in mountainous and forested areas as part of preparations to carry out his terrorist plan. Preliminary data also show that one of the suspects had attempted to join one of the branches of “Daesh”, notably the one in the Sahel and Sahara region, before abandoning this project to join a subversive act within the national territory, serving the agenda of this terrorist organization. The suspects were taken into custody for the purposes of the judicial investigation conducted by the BCIJ under the supervision of the competent prosecutor’s office in charge of terrorism cases, with a view to identifying all their terrorist plans and projects, and elucidating the ramifications and possible links of these individuals with terrorist organizations abroad. This security operation comes against a backdrop marked by the growing threat posed by “Daesh” and other terrorist organizations around the world, particularly with the recurrence of calls for incitement launched by these organizations.