Morocco says it has dismantled ISIL-linked cell planning attack

play Live Sign upShow navigation menu.css-15ru6p1{font-size:inherit;font-weight:normal;}Navigation menuNewsShow more news sectionsAfricaAsiaUS & CanadaLatin AmericaEuropeAsia PacificWorld CupMiddle EastExplainedOpinionVideoMoreShow more sectionsFeaturesEconomySportHuman RightsClimate CrisisInvestigationsInteractivesIn PicturesScience & TechnologyPodcastsTravelSponsored Contentplay Live Click here to searchsearchSign upNavigation menucaret-leftTrendingUS-Israel war on IranWorld Cup 2026Tracking Israel's ceasefire violationsDonald Trumpcaret-rightNews|Armed GroupsMorocco says it has dismantled ISIL-linked cell planning attackPolice arrest 10 suspects, seizing bladed weapons, military-style clothes and bomb‑making instructions. xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogleAdd Al Jazeera on GoogleinfoThe appeals court of Casablanca, Morocco [File: Akram Oubachir/AP Photo]By AFP and ReutersPublished On 6 Jul 20266 Jul 2026Morocco says it has arrested 10 members of a cell linked to the ISIL affiliate in Sahel Province (ISSP), foiling a planned attack. The Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations, Morocco’s chief agency responsible for counterterrorism operations, said on Monday that as well as seizing the suspects, simultaneous raids across several Moroccan cities had found bladed weapons, military-style clothing, bomb‑making instructions, digital material and chemicals, as well as a car suspected to have been modified for use in a bombing or ramming attack. A warehouse used by the cell held butane gas cylinders and pressure cookers filled with nails and electrically wired. Police said the group’s plans were “in an advanced stage of preparation”. The last attack by an ISIL-affiliated group on Moroccan soil occurred in 2023, when three men killed a policeman in Casablanca. Recent years have seen a surge of activity by fighter groups affiliated with ISIL and al-Qaeda across the Sahel region and West Africa. In nearby Mali, al-Qaeda affiliate Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) exploited a vacuum created by a collapse in government control to seize towns and cities, even besieging the capital in November. Neighbouring Mauritania has also been facing cross-border attacks by affiliated fighter groups along its border with Mali. ISIL and al-Qaeda affiliates have also expanded their presence in Burkina Faso and Niger. While Morocco has largely been spared from regional violence, authorities say 130 citizens have been recruited by the ISSP in recent years. Advertisement AboutAboutShow moreAbout UsCode of EthicsTerms and ConditionsEU/EEA Regulatory NoticePrivacy PolicyCookie PolicyCookie PreferencesAccessibility StatementSitemapWork for usConnectConnectShow moreContact UsUser Accounts HelpAdvertise with usStay ConnectedNewslettersChannel FinderTV SchedulePodcastsSubmit a TipPaid Partner ContentOur ChannelsOur ChannelsShow moreAl Jazeera ArabicAl Jazeera EnglishAl Jazeera Investigative UnitAl Jazeera MubasherAl Jazeera DocumentaryAl Jazeera BalkansAJ+Our NetworkOur NetworkShow moreAl Jazeera Centre for StudiesAl Jazeera Media InstituteLearn ArabicAl Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human RightsAl Jazeera ForumAl Jazeera Hotel PartnersFollow Al Jazeera English: