Morocco Dismantles ISIS-Linked Terror Cell Planning Attacks in Tangier

The BCIJ announced that it had dismantled a terrorist cell based on information provided by the services of the General Directorate of National Territorial Surveillance. The cell is composed of four people aged 23 to 26 years old. This cell is led by Abu Hamza El Chamali, who was arrested in the Al Aouama neighborhood in Tangier. The three other individuals were arrested in other neighborhoods of the same city.

The alleged leader of the cell would have recorded a video expressing his "oath of allegiance" to the leader of the terrorist organization, promising to "comply with his orders and directives", with the black and white banner of Daesh in the background. The initial investigations indicate that the members of the cell were not able to reach the "sensitive points", according to the spokesman of the DGST.

They thus decided to focus their operation at the local level, and planned to carry out "individual" attacks in various regions of the country, by focusing on the "approaches" used by ISIS in its traditional strongholds, Iraq and Syria.

The elements of the BCIJ and the scientific police carried out searches and investigations which made it possible to seize a set of bladed weapons of different sizes, electronic equipment and media, which will be subjected to the necessary technical expertise.