Moroccan police arrest 10 people over thwarted Islamic State-linked attack plots

Morocco's counterterrorism agency on Monday said it had foiled several attack plots by a cell linked to the Islamic State affiliate in the Sahel.

In a statement, the Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations announced the arrest of 10 people, including a minor, during coordinated operations carried out in the cities of of Agadir, Taroudant, Casablanca, Hajeb, Tetouan, Fqih Ben Salah and Safi.

The suspects reportedly pledged allegiance to the Islamic State. They had received direct instructions from the jihadist group’s Sahel branch to carry out attacks in Morocco, according to the statement carried by state news agency MAP.

Authorities said the plots were “extremely dangerous” and “in an advanced stage of preparation."

Searches uncovered bladed weapons, militar-style clothing and "manuscripts detailing the manufacture of explosive devices", the statement read.

In Inezgane, near Agadir, police also discovered a vehicle with its "fuel tank modified to run on butane gas", meant for a "suicide bombing or a car-ramming attack", the statement added.

The last recorded jihadist attack in Morocco took place in 2023, when three people affiliated to the Islamic State killed a police officer in Casablanca.