The Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations (BCIJ), under Morocco’s General Directorate for Territorial Surveillance (DGST), announced in the early hours of Wednesday the dismantling of a terrorist cell affiliated with the so-called Islamic State (ISIS). The cell was composed of four extremists operating between the cities of Tetouan and Chefchaouen, aged between 20 and 27.
According to a statement by the BCIJ, searches conducted at the suspects’ residences led to the seizure of a handwritten pledge of allegiance (Bay’ah) to the self-proclaimed leader of ISIS, along with a video recording documenting this pledge. Authorities also found a flag symbolizing the terrorist organization, a black outfit consisting of trousers and a jacket bearing extremist writings, as well as weapon replicas including a scoped rifle, two handguns, and several electronic devices which will undergo technical forensic analysis.
The same source added that field investigations and surveillance revealed the gravity of the terrorist plots being prepared by the members of this cell. These plots aligned with ISIS’s destructive agenda aimed at undermining the security and stability of the Kingdom. The suspects had already initiated practical preparations for their terrorist plans by conducting field tests in a mountainous area near Tetouan for the purpose of manufacturing explosive devices.
The investigations also revealed that the suspects documented their allegiance to the current self-proclaimed leader of ISIS through both a written manuscript and a video, in an attempt to gain the group’s endorsement for their terrorist projects.
The four individuals have been placed in custody under Morocco’s preventive detention framework for terrorism-related cases, under the supervision of the public prosecutor specializing in terrorism. The investigation aims to uncover all terrorist plans, as well as the potential networks and links associated with this cell.
