Moroccan police on Tuesday dismantled a criminal network composed of seven individuals, including three radical Islamists. The group was accused of collecting extortion from vendors in the downtown area of Fez, using blackmail and threats to force them to pay.
In a statement, the General Directorate of National Security (DGSN) said that a special force of internal intelligence services coordinated with the Judicial Police to carry out the arrests simultaneously.
According to the statement, the group had subjected merchants in various neighborhoods of Fez to blackmail and threats, forcing them to pay periodic sums of money. Some jihadist groups view non-followers as apostates and believe they have the right to seize their assets as booty, known in jihadist terminology as “fei.”
During the operation, security services seized a large number of bladed weapons, false administrative seals, and a significant amount of money allegedly obtained through the group’s criminal activity.
The detainees were placed in police custody, pending the outcome of a judicial investigation supervised by the relevant prosecutor’s office to determine the circumstances of the case.
The prosecutor’s office also intends to investigate the links between the extremist ideology of some of the detainees and the blackmail practices they committed against their victims to appropriate their money.
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