Terrorism News - North Africa

After making a pledge of allegiance to Islamic State leader Abu Bakar Baghdadi, the deadliest group in Egypt, Ansar Jerusalem (AJ), issued a video on 14 November under a new name, ‘Sinai Province’. The rebranding appeared to be part of an effort to support IS’ call to create local provinces across the Middle East and North Africa. Despite its pledge of allegiance, AJ’s recent claimed attacks did not deviate from past targeting priorities. Almost all its attacks were against police and other domestic security forces.


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INCREASE IN ARRESTS OF SUSPECTED JIHADISTS IN MOROCCO

There has been a significant increase in the number suspected jihadists arrested in Morocco in 2014. The Moroccan interior ministry said in statements published in mid-November that many of those detained had links to Islamic State (IS).

Based on interior ministry statements, the security forces arrested more than 100 people on charges related to jihadist activity this year, compared with less than 40 last year. Rather than plotting attacks at home, the majority of those arrested appear to have been involved in small cells recruiting would-be foreign fighters or in disseminating extremist messaging over the internet. The government appears to be capitalising on the international reaction to IS to take a more robust stance against individuals they perceive to pose a threat.

In July, the interior ministry raised Morocco’s terrorism alert level, citing the threat posed by jihadists returning from Syria and Iraq. Despite this, very few of those arrested since then had actually gone to those countries. And, while the ministry said some of those arrested were planning attacks in Morocco, it has not publicly detailed any plots. The interior minister told local media two weeks ago that Morocco ‘does not currently face direct terrorist threats’, and the new security measures were in response to a wider regional threat.

These new measures include a security operation named Hadar (Vigilance) in Casablanca, Rabat, Marrakesh, Fes, Tangier, and Agadir, which the government began in late October. The operation involved the deployment of armed forces,gendarmerie, and police in the streets, at airports, and at train stations. These measures are primarily intended to reassure Moroccans and foreign visitors, rather than counter a specific terrorist threat.


source: Terrorism Tracker