Terror in the Kingdom: The Islamic State Threat in Morocco

A spate of recent reports detailing the dismantling of Islamic State (IS) militant cells in Morocco could jeopardise the country’s reputation as a safe tourist destination in the Maghreb. On 27 July, for example, security forces announced the arrest of 52 suspected IS militants who were allegedly planning to create a cell with operational control in Morocco. The arrests, which were the largest in several years, followed a report two weeks earlier that an alleged IS cell had been dismantled in the coastal city of Agadir, southwest of Marrakesh, in which members were reportedly planning attacks against local tourist centres and hotels. That incident followed a similar report of suspected IS cells being dismantled in the cities of Oujda and Tendrara in June, and an earlier account in February of an IS-affiliated group arrested in Essaouira that had allegedly received weapons from IS in Libya, including substances to make biological weapons. Such reports have fuelled concerns of a growing intent among both domestic and regional IS supporters to conduct attacks in this popular tourist destination. 

Morocco’s diverse spread of hotels, beaches and markets present a multitude of attractive targets for IS militants. This spread affords militants the opportunity to target foreign nationals as well as the Moroccan government by inflicting damage on one of the country’s most important growth sectors. With Tunisia and Egypt’s tourism industries still reeling from IS attacks in 2015, the group will be eager to replicate its success. A local IS affiliate leader released a statement to this effect in May 2016, calling for attacks on Western tourists in Morocco. An attack would also strike a blow to Al Qaeda’s affiliates in the region, giving IS an important boost in the groups’ competition for primacy in the wider Sahel. 

Yet so far, IS has not been able to execute a successful attack in Morocco. This is likely due to the relative strength of the country’s comprehensive counter-terrorism measures. These include robust border controls, cross-agency coordination and intelligence sharing between security forces and a wide network of local informants. The government also actively attempts to tackle radicalisation at a religious level. Through this multidimensional approach, authorities exercise tight control over the content taught throughout Morocco’s mosques and all imams are required to preach from a government-approved curriculum. Anti-radicalisation programmes are also well-established throughout the country’s prison system, targeting the relationship between criminal networks and religious extremism. 

However, while these efforts have proven effective in preventing attacks since 2011, radicalisation networks evidently continue to penetrate pockets of Morocco’s population. These networks sustain a stream of aspirant militants from both inside and outside the country. An estimated 1,100 Moroccans are believed to have travelled to join IS in Syria, Iraq and Libya. Concerns have therefore been raised that these foreign fighters could return, enhancing both the numbers and capabilities of nascent IS cells within the country. This potent combination of presence, capability and intent continues to loom over the beaches and cafés of Africa’s most-visited tourist destination.