Highlights
– Moroccan security forces arrest 32 people belonging to a suspected terrorist cell with links to international terror groups
– Members of the network include a number of high profile civil servants, government officials, businessmen, and teachers
– As a result of arrests, government bans a popular opposition party directly linked to the cell and will likely put government officials and security forces on high alert in the near to mid-term
During a two-day police round up, starting February 18, 2008, Moroccan security forces dismantled a major jihadist network, comprised of 32 people of varying professional and high profile backgrounds. The investigations uncovered a number of branches belonging to the network, which was originally established in 1992 in Tangier. Suspects were arrested in major tourist cities, including the capital Rabat, Casablanca, Marrakesh, and other towns across the country. According to Prime Minister Abbas el Fassi, the suspects were planning a number of political assassinations, which targeted army officers and government ministers, as well as several Moroccan Jews. The network developed links with other terror groups abroad to receive military training for its members, principally from al-Qaeda in Afghanistan in 2001 and bomb-making training from Hizbollah in Lebanon in 2003 and 2005. In addition, the cell leader’s arrest, a Moroccan living in Belgium with links to other terrorist organizations in Morocco and abroad, has allowed security forces to link a number of trans-national fundraising operations for the network in several European countries.
Arrests Highlight the Diversity of Terrorists Backgrounds
Since 2003, when suicide bombings killed 45 people in Casablanca, the Moroccan authorities rounded up thousands of Islamists suspected of planning to overthrow the Kingdom and conduct terrorist attacks across North Africa . Similarly, in March and April 2007, seven men waged suicide attacks in the same port city (Terrorist Attack; Terrorist Attack). The majority of suspected terrorists arrested in the past five years have all yielded similar profiles: economically depressed, unemployed, impressionable young men from impoverished areas drawn to the jihad on the promise of a better life in paradise.
However, recent cases have shown drastic variations, ranging from wealthy politicians to established civil servants. In the latest operation, 32 individuals arrested included teachers, professors, businessmen, government employees, a police superintendent, a hotel manager, a correspondent for a Hezbollah television channel, and three leading Islamist political figures from opposition parties: Mustapha Moatassim and Mohammed Amine Ragala, chief and member of the Badil al Hadari opposition party, and Mohammed Merouani, leader of the Oumma Movement. Following the arrests, Morocco banned the Badil al Hadari party, as its leader was among the chief planners of a number of high profile assassination plots within Morocco.
More Terrorist Footprints in Europe
Of specific note is the arrest of cell leader Abdelkader Bellirai, who led government officials to uncover more terrorist footprints in Europe. Purportedly, the Brussels resident, Belliari, oversaw a number of criminal fundraising operations in Europe, including a robbery on a Brussels Brink’s subsidiary in 2000. The theft totaled 17.5 million Euros, which subsequently enabled the network to smuggle US$3.89 million in 2001 to Morocco to fund its activities. Additionally, jewelry stolen in Belgium was also smuggled into Morocco and sold to help raise funds for the network.
The money was laundered through investments in tourism, real estate, and businesses across Morocco. With these funds, the network was able to finance a large consignment of weapons found by police during the raids. Security forces uncovered at least 34 weapons, including two Israeli-made UZIs, Kalashnikov assault rifles, and machine guns.
Forecast: Security on High Alert
Due to the level of sophistication and professionalism discovered in the recent arrests, government officials and security forces have managed to break away from preconceived notions of jihadists and terrorists profiles. As a result, drastic executive decisions, such as banning opposition groups, may increase in the near to mid-term in order to unequivocally account for and combat the largely diverse profiles among terrorists in Morocco and North Africa, at large.
Ongoing investigations will likely result in the cooperation of security forces and intelligence from neighboring North African countries, such as Algeria and Libya. As Algeria plans to increase its police force by 15,000 officers through 2010, officials will need to rely on the intelligence and experiences of Moroccan officials.
