Moroccan Terror Cell Planned Attacks on Church, Festival, and Jewish Event, Official Says

In addition to a church in Marrakech (the Church of the Holy Martyrs), they planned to attack the Gnaoua Festival in Essaouira as well as a Jewish Moussem also in Essaouira, Khiame explained in a lengthy interview with the EFE agency. According to the official, the 22 people arrested as part of the investigation had no links with "operational elements" of the Islamic State and their only link to the terrorist organization was the Hispano-Swiss Kevin Z.G.

The members of this cell also planned to carry out attacks using car-rammers in Agadir, Marrakech and Essaouira, the director of the BCIJ said, also dwelling on the Swiss national of Spanish origin. Called "Abdallah" in Morocco, Kevin dreamed of going to Syria but, faced with the difficulties encountered, he finally settled in Morocco by making a hijra (Islamic emigration) to perfect his knowledge of Islam, having converted in Geneva in 2011.

Abdelhak Khiame also cited the case of the radical imam who officiated in a clandestine mosque in a commune near Marrakech and who had some problems with the authorities because he refused to follow the directives of the Ministry of Habous and Islamic Affairs.

As for the alleged killer of the two tourists, Abdessamad J., he had been arrested in 2014 at Mohammed V Airport in Casablanca while trying to join the Islamic State in Syria before serving a one-year prison sentence, where he met other jihadist detainees.