Rabat, Feb 12, 2019 – Moroccan authorities said Tuesday they had arrested three French nationals suspected of links to the Islamic State jihadist group for alleged involvement in “financing terrorism”. Investigations have shown that the suspects have “succeeded in forging close ties with active fighters” within IS in Syria and Iraq, it said. The North African kingdom, which relies heavily on tourism, was shaken by the grisly murders of two Scandinavian hikers by suspected jihadists in the High Atlas mountains in December. In 2011, a bomb blast at a cafe in Marrakesh’s famed Jamaa El Fna Square killed 17 people, mostly European tourists. Jihadists of Moroccan origin have also been involved in numerous attacks abroad in recent years in France, Belgium and Spain.

Source: The North Africa Journal February 12, 2019 18:33 UTC