Morocco Arrests 10 ISIS Plotters Planning Car-Bomb Attack in Casablanca and Agadir

Moroccan counterterrorism authorities arrested 10 suspects accused of pledging allegiance to ISIS and planning a car-bomb attack, with raids carried out on Monday morning in seven Moroccan cities including Casablanca and Agadir.

“ADF personnel: Moroccan authorities have arrested more than twelve ISIS operatives and disrupted a plot by Sahel-based extremists to sow terror in this North African kingdom”

Africa Defense Forum

The Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations said members of the alleged cell received instructions from ISIS leaders in Africa, and detectives found chemicals, military uniforms and “extremist manuscripts” belonging to the 10 suspects, one of whom was a child.

Africa Defense Forum

Investigators said a 4x4 vehicle with a modified fuel tank was discovered in a warehouse in Inezgane, and after the area was evacuated for bomb disposal, the plotters’ aim was to carry out a suicide bombing or a car-ramming attack “against sensitive targets and facilities”.

The operation also uncovered butane gas cylinders, pressure cookers filled with nails, electrical equipment and a batch of chemicals, and the bureau described one suspect as the “emir” of the terrorist cell who assigned roles to other members.

Morocco’s Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations said the suspects were detained during coordinated raids across seven cities including Agadir, Taroudant, Casablanca, El Hajeb, Tetouan, Fquih Ben Salah, and Safi, and that the cell operated under an alleged “emir” who assigned members specific roles.

Jordan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates condemned the terrorist plots in a statement describing them as “an unacceptable attempt to undermine Morocco’s security, sovereignty, and stability.”

Al Jazeera

In the same statement, Jordan’s Ministry spokesperson Ambassador Sufyan Qudah said Jordan stands in “unwavering solidarity with the Kingdom of Morocco” and supports “all measures taken to safeguard the country’s sovereignty, security, and stability”.

Morocco’s Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations said investigators seized weapons, military-style uniforms, extremist documents, digital devices, and materials believed to have been intended for use in terrorist attacks, and that authorities also uncovered a modified vehicle and explosive-making components destined for attacks against sensitive targets.

The Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations said the operation uncovered bomb-making materials, chemicals, military uniforms, extremist literature, and a four-wheel-drive vehicle with a modified fuel tank believed to have been intended for a suicide bombing or vehicle-ramming attack.

“Morocco Dismantles an ISIL-Linked Terrorist Cell Moroccan police, in collaboration with Spanish security, arrested nine members of a cell suspected of collaborating with ISIL”

Anadolu Ajansı

Authorities also seized butane gas cylinders, pressure cookers packed with nails, electrical components, and chemical substances used to assemble improvised explosive devices, while investigators said they were investigating the cell’s suspected links to ISIS’s Sahel branch and examining possible domestic and international connections.

The National reported that the raids highlight the threat posed by extremist groups operating in the Sahel, and said that in recent years ISIS branches in Africa have recruited more than 130 Moroccan fighters, according to authorities in the country.

The National added that the last such attack in Morocco was in 2023, when three people loyal to ISIS killed a Moroccan police officer in Casablanca, and it said investigators now hope to “shed further light on suspects' alleged links to the African branch of [ISIS] in the Sahel-Saharan region”.

Shafaq News also said the suspects, among them a minor, were detained during coordinated raids across seven cities, and that official BCIJ figures indicate that the group’s African affiliates have recruited more than 130 Moroccan fighters in recent years.