News
Monday 18 June 2018

Since Casablanca Attacks, Morocco Has Adopted Proactive Security Policy

Vocal synthesis
Since Casablanca Attacks, Morocco Has Adopted Proactive Security Policy

Under the leadership of HM King Mohammed VI, Morocco has adopted a proactive security policy since the Casablanca attacks, said director of the central bureau for judiciary investigations (BCIJ), Abdelhak Khiame.

"Thanks to a law passed in 2003, the legal and security arsenal has certainly been strengthened, enabling action to be taken before a terrorist acts, but also the complete reform of the religious field so as not to leave Islam in the grip of extremist movements," said Khiame in an interview published by the French weekly +Valeurs actuelles+, which made a report on the fight against terrorism in Morocco.

"This aspect is essential. We also had to combat precariousness and poverty, the best breeding ground of the Islamic State," added BCIJ head, recalling that since 2015, 815 terrorists have been arrested and brought to justice.

"In 2017, we nabbed 186 terrorists. Since the creation of the BCIJ, we have dismantled 21 terrorist cells in 2015, 19 in 2016, 9 in 2017 and 4 so far in 2018," he pointed out.

Khiame also described as excellent the security cooperation with France, saying that the BCIJ exchanges a lot with the French services, mainly the DGSI [Direction générale de la sécurité intérieure], but also with the French judicial police.

Furthermore, BCIJ head highlighted the link between the polisario and terrorist networks in the region, pointing out that 100 polisario separatists working in Islamist movements have been identified.

According to him, terrorist organizations profit from drug trafficking networks, illegal immigration, trafficking in identity documents and gunrunning.

MAP 17 June 2018