Morocco Reports 60% Drop in Terrorism Cases in 2020 Amid Pandemic

In 2020, the Moroccan justice system initiated a total of 126 legal proceedings against individuals accused of terrorism, a decrease of 60% compared to 2019. Most of these individuals were brought to justice for glorifying terrorism, the report states, specifying that 119 of them are still awaiting trial, with the trials having been suspended during the health crisis.

To read: Morocco Dismantles 84 Terrorist Cells Since 2015, BCIJ Reports

Terrorist cells posing a "real threat" to Morocco were dismantled during this year 2021, despite the decrease in terrorist crimes recorded last year. According to Moroccan security services, there are more than a thousand terrorists, including jihadists and their families, detained in the Syria-Iraq zone, in the kingdom.

To read: Morocco Expands Anti-Terrorism Strategy with Focus on Education and Religious Moderation

Morocco has not experienced any terrorist attacks since December 2018, after the assassination in Marrakech of the tourists Louisa Vesterager Jespersen (Danish) and Maren Ueland (Norwegian) by a group of extremists. The kingdom has also strengthened its anti-terrorism law in 2014 and created the BCIJ, a unit exclusively dedicated to the fight against terrorism.