Counter-terror police SMASH Islamic State cell and foil ‘IMMINENT’ attack
AN ISLAMIC State terror cell suspected of plotting an “imminent” terror attack has been foiled by police, officials have said.
Counter-terror police arrested seven suspects in a series of dawn raids across Morocco
Counter-terror police arrested seven suspects, including the alleged mastermind, in a series of dawn raids across Morocco, foiling the planned large-scale attack.
Counter-terrorism officials seized multiple weapons including seven pistols, a rifle and ammunition
The suspected jihadists had ties with top ISIS officials based in Syria, Iraq and Libya, and had set up a hideout in the peaceful coastal town of El-Jadida, where they knew that they would be able to plan the attack “away from prying eyes”, according to a spokesperson for the interior ministry.
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Counter-terrorism officials seized an assault rifle, seven pistols, ammunition, two suicide vests and bomb-making material in the raids in El-Jadida, Sale, and other towns.
A local El-Jadida resident said: “Three men – including a minor – moved into what we now know was a jihadi hideout in November. They were discreet and kept to themselves. But they showed no signs of being radicalised.”
Morocco counter-terror officials claim they have solved more than 150 jihadist cells since 2002
The members of the ISIS-directed terror cell had been ordered to recruit and train jihadists to carry out bloody terrorist attacks on Moroccan soil with the aim of killing a “maximum number of civilians” and of “spreading fear throughout the country,” the spokesperson added.
Security experts fear that some militant groups may try and return and create more terrorist groups
Hundreds of fighters from Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria have joined militant groups in the Middle East and Libya, and security experts fear that some will try to return and create new terrorist groups in their home countries.
Moroccan counter-terror officials say they have cracked more than 150 jihadist cells linked to ISIS since 2002.