The Moroccan anti-terrorist police announced on Wednesday March 2 that they arrested an "
extremist
" affiliated with the jihadist organization Islamic State (IS) suspected of preparing attacks targeting foreigners and security officials in Morocco.
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The 27-year-old man was taken into custody after his arrest early Wednesday near Tata (south-east of the country) for "
his alleged involvement in the preparation of the execution of terrorist plans with cross-border ramifications
" , said the Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations (BCIJ) in a press release.
The suspect had "
collected several digital contents from extremist sites in order to learn (...) about the design of explosive devices in order to use them in terrorist operations using a car bomb
", specified the BCIJ.
Among its targets are foreign nationals in Morocco, some senior security and government officials and sensitive official buildings, according to the same source.
The "
terrorist operations
" were being prepared "
at the instigation of and in coordination with an extremist operating abroad with a connection to terrorist events in Europe
", the statement added without further details.
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The man arrested in Morocco was in charge of recruiting people chosen to carry out the "
terrorist plan
" on Moroccan territory, according to the press release.
During searches of the suspect's home, the security services seized "
substances used in the manufacture of explosives
", "
digital data on how to make them" as well as "
extremist
" posters
and a "
will
" manuscript in which he “
threatens to carry out terrorist operations
”.
If Morocco has been spared in recent years by violence linked to jihadist groups, its security services regularly report anti-terrorist crackdowns and foiled attack plans.
Since 2002, the Moroccan police have dismantled more than 2,000 terrorist cells and arrested more than 3,500 people in cases related to "
terrorism
", according to the BCIJ.
