Dismantling of Terrorist Cell Affiliated with ‘Daesh’ Operating in Morocco & Spain

Rabat – Morocco’s Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations (BCIJ), under the General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance (DGST), carried out an operation on Wednesday morning, as part of a joint and simultaneous operation with the General Commissariat of Information (CGI) under the Spanish National Police, to dismantle a terrorist cell affiliated with the terrorist organization “Daesh”, consisting of three extremist individuals operating in Morocco and Spain.

This high-impact security operation is part of the joint initiatives and investigations conducted by Moroccan security services, in coordination with their Spanish counterparts, with the aim of neutralizing risks related to the terrorist threat and dismantling extremist networks and organizations threatening the security of both countries, the BCIJ stated in a press release. Simultaneous field operations carried out as part of this joint operation led to the arrest of two individuals in Tangier by members of the DGST Special Forces, while Spanish security services arrested the “leader” of this terrorist cell in the city of Mallorca. At this stage, preliminary findings from the investigations reveal that the cell members arrested in Morocco are involved in providing financial and logistical support to active fighters within branches of the “Daesh” organization in the sub-Saharan Sahel region and in Somalia. The leader of this cell is suspected of having planned a terrorist attack in Spain using the modus operandi of lone-wolf terrorism. For the purposes of the judicial investigation, the two suspects arrested in Tangier have been placed in police custody as part of the investigation led by the BCIJ under the supervision of the prosecutor’s office responsible for terrorism cases, with the aim of shedding light on all the connections of this network at the national and regional levels. This new security operation marks the culmination of a long process of cooperation between Moroccan security services and their Spanish counterparts, while illustrating the importance of the bilateral strategic partnership in the security sector, leading to the dismantling of more than 30 terrorist cells since 2014 in both countries, thereby helping to address major threats and thwart dangerous plots.