TerrorismMorocco arrests recruiter involved with French terror network
Moroccan security forces two weeks ago arrested a French jihadist who was operating in the country to recruit fighters in order to send them to al-Qaeda affiliated organizations. The unnamed suspect had fought in Bosnia before joining the ranks of al-Qaeda in Iraq and Syria. His arrival is believed to be connected to recent strife in Libya and coordinated by the Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist cell in Syria.
Moroccan security forces two weeks ago arrested a French jihadist who was operating in the country to recruit fighters in order to send them to al-Qaeda affiliated organizations.
As Magharebia reports, the unnamed suspect had fought in Bosnia before joining the ranks of al-Qaeda in Iraq and Syria.
According to a Moroccan Interior Ministry statement, “The investigation resulted in revealing that the concerned person was recently in Libya, where he was in contact with the terrorist group Ansar al-Sharia before coming to Morocco through Tunisia.”
The suspect had spent just one week in the country before being picked up on 26 July.
His arrival is believed to be connected to recent strife in Libya and coordinated by the Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist cell in Syria, according to Abdelmajid Hachadi, a Moroccan journalist specializing in tracking the movements of radical Islamist groups.
“It is likely that this organization has given him a task in Morocco. However, I am confident that the information that will be collected by the investigators will enable the dismantling of channels and networks essential for the recruitment and travel of jihadists to hot spots such as Syria and Iraq,” said Hachadi.
The suspect’s efforts were thwarted when he tried to exit the country through the Port of Tangier, which had notably been under more intensive security surveillance and monitoring due to the return of many Moroccan immigrants from their summer vacations abroad.
“This is in addition to the new security measures taken by Morocco in the face of the growing terrorist threat,” Hachadi added.
Lastly, the recent capture also highlights the growing concern amongst many nations in the region of threatening activity and a lack of cooperation among both governments and security and intelligence services.
Abdellah Rami, a Moroccan researcher, told the news site, “Unfortunately, the lack of co-ordination in terms of security between Maghreb countries constitutes the largest lapse of security in the region. How else can we explain the movement of known terrorist figures and significant ones so easily across the border?”
