Islamic State may have trouble infiltrating Morocco. Six jihadists detained for plotting terrorist attacks

At least six members of a terrorist cell that had ties to the Islamic State were arrested in Morocco, Moroccan authorities announced on Monday.

ALGIERS, ALGERIA (Catholic Online) - This cell was planing attacks on behalf of the Islamic State, and apparently had targeted places that were frequented by tourists, echoes of the attack that took place in the Bardo Museum in Tunisia last month.

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Morocco has long been a target of jihadists affiliated with the Islamic State because of its geographical position. Its closeness to Europe, like Libya, make it an attractive place to infiltrate cells that can throw the North African kingdom into chaos, as well as allowing for a staging point for attacks into Spain and the rest of Europe.

About 1,500 Moroccans have also joined the Islamic State, and this is a worrying fact to the Moroccan government, which is why the kingdom recently strengthened its policy regarding terrorism.

The Central Bureau of Judicial Investigation (CBJI) moved in on the authorities who were operating in the Selouane region of Nador, close to Melilla a Spanish enclave.

According to local authorities, the six apprehended terrorists were "followers of the jihadi thought, [and] planned the killing of people [who held contrary] religious beliefs," to the Islamic State.

Morocco is strengthening its position with France as part of its efforts to stop Islamic terrorism within the country and conducted by those who live there, extraditing three French Muslims back to France in March in relation to terrorism charges.

France's Interior Minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, visited the kingdom in mid-February of this year, where he met Mohamed Assad, his Moroccan counterpart as well as the Moroccan Prime Minister, Abdelilah Benkirane. The three men met to reaffirm security cooperation between the two countries.

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