Morocco busts IS-linked cell, arrests 5

 

The Moroccan security services on Thursday busted a cell linked to the Islamic State (IS) militant group and arrested five of its members.

Security operations carried out simultaneously in the cities of Tangier, Tiflet, Temara and Skhirat led to the arrest of the five suspects aged between 29 and 43, according to a statement by the Moroccan Central Bureau for Judicial Investigations.

Two of the suspects were arrested in Tiflet, 80 km east of the capital Rabat, and in Temara located in the suburb of Rabat.

Three explosive belts, electronic devices, large-sized knives and swords, chemical substances and nearly three kg of ammonium nitrate were seized during the operation.

Initial investigations revealed that the suspects were planning to carry out terrorist attacks on sensitive sites in Morocco using explosive belts, said the statement.