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Four suspected members of IS arrested in Morocco

Four suspected members of IS arrested in Morocco

Morocco

The Moroccan authorities have announced on Tuesday the arrest of four suspected members of the jihadist group Islamic State (IS), accused of planning attacks against “key sites” in the economic capital, Casablanca.

“The Central Office of Judicial Investigation (BCIJ) on Tuesday dismantled a terrorist cell composed of four extremists bustling between Casablanca and common Mograne (a rural town about fifty kilometers northeast of Rabat),” the Ministry of Interior said in a statement.

“According to the early finding from the investigation the cell members have pledged allegiance to the IS and prepared dangerous terrorist plans against the stability and security of the Kingdom and targeted operations against key sites in Casablanca,” the ministry said.

Since 2002, 159 “terrorist cells” have been dismantled in Morocco, including 38 since 2013 which were “closely connected” with IS, according to a previous statement from the Interior Ministry. In late July, the authorities reported the arrest of 52 people suspected of planning attacks in the country and wanted to create a local branch of IS. Unlike other countries, Morocco has been spared deadly attacks over the past five years.

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