Moroccan police arrested an alleged Islamic State supporter in Berkane on Thursday after investigators said he failed to join the group in the Sahel and began preparing attacks inside Morocco, the Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations said.
The arrest was carried out by Berkane judicial police using intelligence supplied by the General Directorate for Territorial Surveillance, the BCIJ said in a statement.
Investigators said the suspect had recently pledged allegiance to the leader of the Islamic State group and intended to carry out attacks under the organization’s strategy of encouraging supporters to act independently.
The suspected plans targeted people, public order and vital installations, according to the statement. Authorities did not disclose a specific target, timetable or whether weapons or explosive materials had been seized.
The BCIJ said surveillance operations supported the preliminary findings and showed that the suspect had previously tried to reach Islamic State militants operating in the Sahel.
After that effort failed, he allegedly turned to what the group describes as “individual jihad,” in which followers carry out violence without belonging to a formal local cell.
The Sahel has become a major centre of activity for armed groups linked to Islamic State and al-Qaida, increasing security concerns in neighbouring North African states.
The suspect was placed in police custody as the BCIJ continues its investigation under the supervision of prosecutors responsible for terrorism cases.
Investigators will seek to determine the full scope of his alleged activities and whether he maintained links with extremist organizations or other suspects inside Morocco or abroad.
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