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NEWS AND VIEWS THAT IMPACT LIMITED CONSTITUTIONAL GOVERNMENT

"There is danger from all men. The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with
power to endanger the public liberty." - - - - John Adams

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Morocco rounds up 45 terror cell members


Members of Moroccan terrorist group Fath Al-Andalous recently
received up to 15 years in prison.

Cracking Down on Jihad
  • Moroccan security forces have dismantled 114 terror cells and thwarted 266 terrorist plots, including plans to strike diplomatic missions, Jewish synagogues and Christian churches.


Morocco's public prosecutor referred more than 45 alleged members of a terror recruitment cell to a Sale criminal court.

The suspects arrested December 26th in Sidi Slimane, Sale, Fnideq, Tetouan, Larache, Ouazzane, Fes, Khouribga, Nador, Zayo, al-Aaroui, Tangier, Mohammedia, Rabat, Marrakech, Tan Tan and Laâyoune are accused of being members of Sham al-Islam.

Long-time Moroccan jihadist Brahim Benchekroune and fellow former prisoner and compatriot Mohamed Mazouz launched the al-Qaeda inspired group in Syria reports All Africa.

Many Moroccan mujahideen have joined
their counterparts in Syria.

Their stated goal: to "consolidate the doctrine of jihad and train a unique generation of jihadists".

Mazouz recently appeared in a video at a Syrian camp, while reading a statement calling for jihad and for providing financial support and weapons to mujahideen in Syria against Bashar al-Assad's regime.

According to the interior ministry, the terrorists planned to commit attacks on the kingdom upon their return from Syria.

The ministry said a former terrorist prisoner was suspected of playing a pivotal role in efforts to raise money and recruit.

The arrests come as part of a sweep by Moroccan security agencies that netted scores of salafists, including those who had expressed support for the Sham al-Islam group.

"The Moroccan security agencies are cracking down on all extremist activities," Mohamed Agdid, a retired DGST officer, confirmed to Magharebia.

"Most of those who depart to fight in Syria don't have previous records, and they go to Syria via Turkey," he said.

Abdellah Rami, a Moroccan researcher specialising in Islamic groups, said, "The biggest centre that supports al-Qaeda's ideology is now based in Syria."

"The new group was created on the backdrop of differences between the Islamic State in Iraq and Levant (ISIL) and Syria's Jabhat al-Nusra (JAN)," he told Magharebia.

He added, "In spite of the name which refers to the Levant, most of the group founders are Moroccan. The group was founded under Moroccan leadership and Syrian trainers."

Rami added that other Moroccan salafists, including Abdellah Tabark, a former bodyguard of Bin Laden, and Anas Halaoui, co-ordinator of the National Committee for the Defence of Islamic prisoners, might have departed for Syria to join the group and fight against al-Assad's forces.

In the decade since the Casablanca suicide bomb attacks, Moroccan security forces have dismantled 114 terror cells and thwarted 266 terrorist plots, including plans to strike diplomatic missions, Jewish synagogues, Christian churches, and the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO).

America's Oldest Friend
King Mohammed VI and Lalla Salma of Morocco with their children.
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Relations between the Kingdom of Morocco and the United States date back to the earliest days of U.S. history. On December 20, 1777, Morocco became the first country to give a naval salute to the new nation.  Formal U.S. relations with Morocco date from 1787 when the United States Congress ratified a Treaty of Peace and Friendship between the two nations.  The treaty was signed by Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Muhammad III in 1786.
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Renegotiated in 1836, the treaty is still in force, constituting the longest unbroken treaty relationship in U.S. history, and Tangier is home to the oldest U.S. diplomatic property in the world. Now a museum, the Tangier American Legation Museum is also the only building outside of the U.S. that is now a National Historic Landmark.

King Mohammed VI and Lalla Salma of Morocco 

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