Morocco arrests three from IS-linked cell: police

Moroccan police said Friday they have arrested three men in the northern city of Tetouan suspected of "terrorist plots" and links to the Islamic State group.

The three had recorded a "video in which they pledge allegiance to the supposed emir of (IS)... and specify the main objectives of their terrorist plans", the Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations said.

The suspects had already conducted "several exploratory visits to identify the targets" they intended to attack with explosives or through methods similar to "Daesh", the statement said, using the Arabic acronym for IS.

Among the items seized during the operation were chemicals used to make explosive devices, an IS banner and several firearms, it added.

The suspects were aged 21 to 38, and one had "family ties with a fighter in the ranks of IS" in the Iraq-Syria arena, the statement said.

Morocco regularly announces that it has dismantled radicalised cells, and according to an official report, it made 79 arrests in 2019 related to "terrorism".

Agencies contributed to this report.