Morocco wages massive anti-terrorism operation

Through preventive security campaigns aimed at stifling the sources of extremism in the Kingdom of Morocco, the Moroccan police were able to expel dozens of people suspected of being connected to terrorist activities and projects. Specifically 50 people were arrested by the Moroccan Police during separate operations in several cities, according to local media reports.

According to the Moroccan public television news website, "simultaneous security operations resulted in the arrest of 50 people in several Moroccan cities as part of preventive operations to combat terrorism", and stated that "21 people" had been detained and were now "theoretically in custody".

According to additional information on the website, the suspects "were brought to the attention of the specialised security services through actions that demonstrated their allegiance to the extremist organisations Daesh and al-Qaeda".

Agents from the National Brigade and the Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations (BCIJ), which are under the control of the General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance (DGST), are working in close collaboration with the DGSN services. 

Bladed weapons and textbooks calling for jihad, as well as writings with clear instructions for the manufacture of explosives, were found in the residences of some of the detainees.

According to the investigations carried out by the security forces, the function within the organisation of the detained individuals was "recruitment and information gathering", as well as being in charge of cyber-propaganda for terrorist acts. 

Moreover, according to the police, some of them showed sympathy with terrorist cells that had already been dismantled. These include members sympathetic to those responsible for the murder of Casablanca police officer Hisham Bourza, according to the Moroccan website Safir.

Thanks to the great cooperation of Moroccan security and intelligence forces, terrorist attacks have generally not had an impact in the Kingdom recently. Since the Casablanca attacks in 2003, the Kingdom has enjoyed a high level of security despite increased activity on the country's southern border.