Morocco hosts the third international debate on “Chemical security and emerging threats”, which will continue for the next three days.
A large number of specialists, representatives of governments, and more participated in this international debate, among which are Greg Hinds, Director of Counter-Terrorism in Interpol, other Interpol representatives, the United States Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Department of Defense Agency for Threat Reduction, and FBI representatives, in addition to Moroccan representatives.
This international debate is an opportunity to improve the security and safety of chemicals throughout their life cycle since their production, through their use pending disposal, especially in terms of avoiding the misuse or use of human beings and the environment in the criminal sphere, in particular terrorism, which threatens international security and safety, said Mohammed Dkhissi, Director of Judicial Police, on behalf of the Director General of National Security and Territory Surveillance, Abdellatif Hammouchi.
During this debate, various topics related to the evolution of these risks, techniques, and methods learned by non-State actors will be discussed in order to obtain these materials, as well as recent events related to chemical terrorism and techniques for detecting, preventing, and responding appropriately to suspicious action.
Mohammed Dkhissi stated that this international debate takes place “with a view to creating a space for discussion, finding solutions, and raising the capacity of all stakeholders to prevent the risk of inappropriate access to and use of chemicals, in particular the aggressive use in criminal acts, especially terrorism.”
He added that the threat remains acute with nuclear, radiological, biological, and chemical materials within the reach of terrorist groups, which seek to impose themselves and carry out their criminal projects, both at the psychological, social, and economic levels, and threaten the security of the nation and citizens, destabilizing them even in the absence of sabotage.
The Director of Judicial Police recalled Morocco’s terrorist events during 2003, 2007, and 2011, and talked about the legislative, social, religious, and security aspects adopted by Morocco to criminalize these acts, fight social vulnerability, spread tolerant teachings of Islamic sharia law, and adopt a proactive approach to combating terrorism and extremism.
This enabled the dismantling of 214 terrorist cells between 2002 and 2021, following which 4,304 persons were brought to justice, 88 of which were linked to the organization of the so-called Islamic State “ISIS”, dismantled in 2013, and more than 500 terrorist projects were aborted. Morocco’s security services were also able in 2016 to stop 10 members of an ISIS cell who had benefited from extraterritorial training and who were preparing to carry out terrorist acts using conventionally manufactured explosive packaging, including biological materials, in the form of Toxin Titanos.
Morocco’s commitment to combating terrorism has been reflected in the Kingdom’s signing and ratification of a series of binding and non-binding international conventions:
- Law 03-03 on combating terrorism.
- Act No. 14.86, amending and supplementing the requirements of the Criminal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure of Act No. 03-03, concerning the criminalization of the phenomenon of access to hotbeds of tension.
- Law 12-02, on civil liability in the field of radiological damage.
- Act No. 05-43, on the criminalization of money laundering and the criminalization of terrorism.
- Act No. 30-05 on the carriage of dangerous goods by road;
- Act No. 36-09, on the development, manufacture, storage, use, and destruction of chemical weapons.
- Act No. 142-12, on nuclear and radiological security and safety, and on the establishment of the Moroccan Agency for Nuclear and Radiological Security and Safety.
- Act No. 48-12, on the control of the export and import of civilian and military dual-use goods and related services.