Morocco’s counterterrorism agency announced Monday that it had successfully broken up a plot to carry out attacks on sensitive sites and public security targets — a scheme tied to an Islamic State affiliate operating in the Sahel region of Africa.
The Central Bureau for Judicial Investigations, known by its French acronym BCIJ, said ten individuals were taken into custody during coordinated operations carried out across the cities of Agadir, Taroudant, Casablanca, Hajeb, Tetouan, Fqih Ben Salah, and Safi.
According to the agency, early investigative findings revealed that the suspects had sworn loyalty to Islamic State and were receiving direct orders from the group’s Sahel-based branch to execute attacks on Moroccan soil.
The case highlights the growing threat from extremist organizations operating in the Sahel, where both Islamic State and al Qaeda-linked groups have significantly expanded their foothold in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger.
When authorities conducted searches, they uncovered bladed weapons, military-style clothing, documents with instructions for constructing explosive devices, digital materials, and chemical substances, the BCIJ stated.
Investigators also discovered a modified vehicle suspected of being prepared for use in either a suicide bombing or a vehicle-ramming attack.
At a warehouse connected to the group, security forces additionally found butane gas cylinders and pressure cookers — some packed with nails and others wired to electrical components.
BCIJ data indicates that Islamic State branches operating across Africa have recruited more than 130 Moroccan fighters in recent years.
Since the agency was founded in 2015, it has broken up dozens of militant cells and detained more than 1,000 individuals suspected of jihadist activity.
The most recent jihadist attack to occur on Moroccan territory took place in 2023, when three IS loyalists fatally shot a Moroccan police officer in Casablanca.
