From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, February 25, 2025
Morocco says it foiled major Islamic State plot
Moroccan authorities say they arrested a dozen people this month allegedly planning attacks on behalf of the Islamic State in the Sahel, a region south of the Sahara Desert.
The discovery of the terrorist cell and what authorities called an “imminent dangerous terrorist plot” reflect the expanding ambitions of extremist groups in the region.
Authorities do not provide details of the suspects’ motives or their plot, beyond saying they planned to set off bombs remotely. They release photographs and videos showing officers raiding terrorist cells throughout the country.
#Morocco #Maroc ???????? Anti-terrorist intervention carried out yesterday by the BCIJ Intervention Unit, part of #Moroccan Internal Intelligence???? which allowed to foil a large-scale terrorist attack & arrest of 12 #terrorists who had pledged allegiance to #ISIS #Daech pic.twitter.com/Cppreu3fIh
— ۞ Kingdom of Morocco Armies-جيوش المملكة المغربية (@KOMARMIES) February 20, 2025
The images show weapons stockpiles found during police raids, Islamic State flags drawn on walls, and thousands of dollars of cash.
The revelation of the plot comes days after Morocco hosted Israeli Transportation Minister Miri Regev for a traffic safety conference. Regev cut her visit short last week after bombs exploded on empty buses near Tel Aviv Thursday.
“Morocco remains a major target in the agenda of all terrorist organizations operating in the Sahel,” Habboub Cherkaoui, the head of Morocco’s Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations, says at a news conference.
Authorities say the Morocco-based cell called itself “the Lions of the Caliphate in the Maghreb” and took direction from Islamic State in the Sahel commanders.
The weapons found include materials to make explosives including nail bombs, dynamite and gas cylinders as well as knives, rifles and handguns whose serial numbers had been filed off.
Investigators say the 12 men arrested ranged from 18 to 40 years old and were apprehended in nine different cities, including Casablanca, Fez and Tangier. The majority were unmarried and had not finished high school. They have not yet been charged under Morocco’s anti-terrorism laws.
Based on materials gathered in raids last week, authorities were able to locate a cache of weapons in the desert near Morocco’s border with Algeria, including firearms and ammunition wrapped in newspapers printed in Mali in late January.
The Times of Israel Community.