MOROCCO NOT used to beinu cited TOR TERROR

RABAT, Morocco — Morocco has long considered itself a key ally in the fight against Islamic extremism, but in recent months, it has found itself shaken by carnage in Europe blamed on Moroccans who moved abroad.

Young men from the North African nation have been involved in deadly attacks in Paris and Brussels, and — just last week — emerged as suspects in violence in Spain and Finland.

In the days after attacks on Barcelona’s famed Las Ramblas and a seaside resort killed 15 people, relatives and friends of the suspects gathered with the Muslim community in their Spanish town of Ripoll to denounce terrorism.

Their families in Morocco issued similar statements and said anything the young men learned about extremism had taken place away from home.

Spanish police Monday shot and killed Younes Abouyaaqoub, a 22-year-old Moroccan thought to be the driver in the van attack on Las Ramblas that was responsible for 13 of the deaths.

His grandfather, Aqbouch Abouyaaqoub, told the Spanish newspaper El Pais that Younes left Morocco as a young boy.

“But one thing is certain: My grandson did not finish his studies here. He studied in Spain,” he said.

Prominent Moroccan Islam expert Bilal Talidi cited multiple causes for radicalization among Moroccans after moving to Europe: “the tug-ofwar between two identities and two educational cultures, social marginalization, a precarious economic situation and a criminal record.”

Since the rise of the Islamic State group, experts say its recruitment has been less focused on religious motivation. Instead, the group has sought out relatively secular young men with a foot in both cultures. An estimated 1,600 Moroccans have joined in recent years.