Speaking at a press briefing in Salé, Habboub stressed that this digital content was intended to transform the members of the cell into people doomed to death who can be quickly involved in the perpetration of terrorist attacks, adding that the cybernetic propaganda that Daesh has adhered to has contributed to accelerating the pace and level of extremism of the cell of the three brothers, while playing a dangerous role in their preparation to commit solitary terrorist projects according to the Daesh method, particularly possible murders and mutilations of bodies through torture, in addition to explosive attacks aimed at causing the maximum possible human and material damage.
This cell has once again revealed the level of malicious use of extremist organizations to information technologies and modern communication techniques to carry out their terrorist projects, he added, recalling that the security services have managed, since 2016, to arrest more than 600 extremist users of social media platforms, who were planning to commit terrorist attacks, following the modus operandi of the “lone wolf”, encouraged by Daesh as part of what this terrorist organization calls “the sustainability and perpetuity of the war of attrition”.
Security services have recently noted that members of the dismantled terrorist cells were using social media to create virtual groups, with the aim of unifying their ideological orientations and exchanging their experiences, particularly in the manufacture of explosive devices and poisons, as well as to broaden the scope of terrorist propaganda and promote the rapid spread of extremism among minors and youth, Habboub said. Most of them expressed their willingness to commit terrorist acts after simple virtual training, he added.
Investigations carried out with the members of the “three-brothers cell” revealed that they were planning to join the terrorist organization of Daesh in the Sahel once their terrorist project was accomplished, BCIJ chief said, adding that this clearly illustrates that terrorist organizations active in various areas of tension are now working to guarantee means of subsistence and accommodation to enlist fighters and their families from different regions of the world.
The Sahel region has become a real source of threat for the Kingdom of Morocco, as it has established itself as the source of the majority of extremists arrested since 2022, Habboub said.
Indeed, the majority of them had planned terrorist projects in Morocco before going to this region. In addition, senior leaders of the Daesh terrorist organization in the Sahel region provided remote guidance and supervision missions for local cells, such as the Had Soualem cell, he explained.
In this context, statistical data reveal that Moroccan authorities have dismantled more than 40 terrorist cells with close links to branches of Al-Qaeda or Daesh in the African Sahel. Similarly, 130 Moroccan extremists have joined “jihadist zones” in Africa, Somalia and the Sahel since late 2022, a figure that highlights the extent of the threats from this region on the security and stability of the regional environment.
Habboub, in this regard, recalled that the DGST proactively alerted the international community to Al-Qaeda’s growing interest in the African Sahel region, while warning of the risk of transforming this area into a regional hub for international terrorist organizations.
Regarding the objectives of this cell, the security official pointed out that field operations and security investigations revealed that members of this terrorist cell were preparing explosive operations targeting sensitive security sites, in addition to a large store and public businesses welcoming local and foreign customers.
To this end, they took pictures of these sites from different angles and identified the exits to access them, while drawing sketches for the routes and circuits leading there.
Logistically, the members of this cell acquired chemicals and welding equipment, as well as dual-use goods that can be used to manufacture explosives, while ensuring that the hardware stores are diversified in order to mislead the authorities and avoid attracting attention.
Referring to the modus operandi of individual terrorism and “lone wolf” tactics, Habboub revealed that the members of this terrorist cell acquired several bladed weapons of different sizes to use in their deadly operations, especially since they received videos from Daesh leaders in the Sahel region, documenting illegal execution operations with the use of torture and beheadings, as well as other barbaric acts aimed at guiding them in the implementation of the planned acts.
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