Morocco: Suspected Islamic State militants arrested Oct. 14

Event

Authorities announced that 11 suspected Islamic State members were detained on Saturday, October 14, during a series of raids. The security operations took place in eight different towns. Officials said that the suspected leader of the cell was arrested in Fez. Security forces recovered weapons, ammunition, bomb making materials, and a vehicle that the militants may have been planning to use as a car bomb.

Context

Several terrorist attacks have been carried out on Moroccan soil in the past decade. In 2011, a bombing at a café in Marrakesh killed 17 people. More than 150 terrorist cells have been dismantled in Morocco since 2002, including 40 in the past three years. It is estimated that over 1600 Moroccans have traveled to fight with IS in Syria and Iraq, 400 of whom died in combat.  Only approximately 78 are believed to have returned to Morocco thus far.

Advice

Due to the significant terrorist threat, individuals in Morocco are advised report any suspicious objects or behavior to the authorities and to exercise caution at all times, particularly when visiting sites deemed particularly likely to be targeted in an attack (public transportation, train stations, ports, airports, public or government buildings, embassies or consulates, international organizations, schools and universities, religious sites, markets, hotels and restaurants frequented by foreigners/Westerners, festivals, etc.), especially in major cities such as Marrakesh, Rabat, and Casablanca.