Terrorist plot against Netherlands broken up in Morocco

A terrorist cell that was planning “targeted attacks” on the Netherlands was dismantled today in the Moroccan town of Salwane, authorities there have reported. One Moroccan national was arrested in the Netherlands.

A press release issued by the country’s Ministry of Interior Affairs said that six people “imbued with jihadist ideas” were arrested during the raid. It said that the cell wanted to “implement IS terrorist agenda; targeted terrorist would be carried out in the kingdom, including the assassination of individuals they accused of having beliefs that contradict their own.”

It said that investigations by the Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations (BCIJ) showed that the suspects had held secret meetings and underwent paramilitary training in the forest close to the town. “To prepare their plots and … to enhance their readiness in the event of a confrontation with (Dutch) security forces.”

The release said the Moroccan national taken into custody in the Netherlands, was arrested after Morocco’s Domestic Intelligence Agency (DGST) provided information to Dutch intelligence agencies.  This suspect had close ties with the terrorist cell and played a role in the preparations. “He was seeking firearms and explosions to be used in targeting the Dutch security forces,” the statement noted.

The statement did not provide the identities nor gender of any of the suspects.