The Moroccan Judicial Investigation Bureau (BCIJ), under Morocco’s territory surveillance services (DGST), arrested an extremist active in Farkhana (Nador region) on Tuesday as part of a joint security effort with the General Commissariat for Information of the Spanish Police, in conjunction with the arrest of other elements by Spanish authorities in the Melilla enclave, alleged for being affiliated to terrorist organizations.
One of the individuals arrested in Spain is a former detainee who had been implicated in terrorism cases in Spain and is suspected of joining terror groups in the Sahel, according to a DGST report.
Preliminary investigations have found that the suspects arrested as part of this joint operation are infused with extremist ideology, in addition to their involvement in the recruitment and enlisting of additional members.
The individual arrested in Morocco was placed in police custody to complete the investigation under the supervision of the public prosecutor’s office.
This joint security operation is part of the ongoing and distinguished security coordination between Moroccan security services and their Spanish counterparts, confirming the importance of the two countries’ security partnership in countering terrorist threats and strengthening bilateral cooperation, with the goal of dissolving existing links between terrorist cells operating in Morocco and Spain.