Morocco says IS cell brought in arms through Spanish enclave
SAL, Morocco: Moroccan authorities said Monday a ‘ terrorist cell’ they dismantled had brought in arms through the Spanish enclave of Melilla to carry out attacks for the Islamic State jihadist group.
The cell was made up of 13 members aged between 19 and 37, most of them without primary school education, said Abdelhak Khiame, head of Morocco’s newlyformed judicial investigations agency.
He told reporters that 440 rounds of ammunition, six pistols, 31 handcuffs and electronic gear were seized at a cache near Agadir in southern Morocco.
The weapons had transited through Melilla, one of two Spanish enclaves in the north of Morocco, Khiame said.
Moroccan authorities had been watching the suspects for over five months, he said, but it was not yet clear if they were linked to cells in Europe.
Spain says it has dismantled several networks, particularly in Melilla and its other North African enclave, Ceuta, recruiting fighters for the Islamic State ( IS).
The two enclaves, the only land borders between Africa and Europe, attract thousands of mostly sub- Saharan Africans trying to reach European countries.
The interior ministry said Sunday the Moroccan cell was dismantled in a nationwide operation and that the arms seized were to have been used for a string of assassinations. — AFP