Morocco, while experiencing fewer terrorist attacks compared to some of its neighbors, has faced significant threats from al-Qaeda-linked groups and continues to disrupt ISIS-affiliated cells. This article examines the major terrorist incidents in Morocco's history, the groups involved, and the measures the country has taken to counter terrorism.
Early Radical Islamist Violence
Throughout modern Moroccan history, radical Islamist violence had been relatively unprecedented. There have been rare exceptions such as the 1975 assassination of Omar Benjelloun by loyalists to Islamist guru Abdelkrim Motiî. The Soviet-Afghan war provided an opportunity for radical Islamists in Morocco to participate in what they perceived as holy war, with seventy Moroccans having fought for the Afghan Mujahideen according to the Directorate for Territorial Surveillance (DST).
In 1996 and amidst the Algerian civil war, Osama bin Laden tasked Ibn al-Shaykh al-Libi to create a federation of jihadist movements loyal to al-Qaeda in the Maghreb which culminated in the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG). In a bid to expand to Morocco, the LIFG created the Moroccan Islamic Movement (HASM) and published two issues of a fanzine titled Sada al-Maghrib (lit. 'echo of Morocco') which was distributed in Denmark, Italy, and Belgium.
In 1997, the HASM turned into Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group (GICM) and published nine press releases in al-Ansar, the media branch of the Armed Islamic Group of Algeria (GIA). In early 2001, after the representative's departure, Osama bin Laden ordered al-Libi to transfer all remaining high-ranking Moroccan members of the LIFG to the GICM as the GICM was al-Qaeda's official relay in Morocco. A training camp for the GICM was opened in Bagram as well as a guest house for GICM members in Kabul ran by Saâd Houssaïni. Following the Battle of Tora Bora in the immediate aftermath of September 11 attacks, most members of the GICM in Afghanistan returned to Morocco, including future radical preachers who would have an ideological impact on the Casablanca attackers.
In May 2002, the DST arrested three Saudi members of al-Qaeda, Zouhair Hilal Mohamed al-Tubaiti, Hilal Jaber Awad al-Assiri, and Abdullah Musafer Ali al-Ghamdi. The exodus of Moroccan veterans from Afghanistan led to a wave of radical preachers in the country, who mainly gave classes regarding jihad and wrote books about the supposed "godless" nature of the Moroccan state and how fighting would be lawful under Islamic law. In some cases, the preachers made small booklets for followers with a primary level of education.
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The Casablanca Bombings of 2003
Morocco has experienced two largescale terrorist attacks. The deadliest terrorist attacks in Morocco's history were the Casablanca bombings, commonly known as May 16. In May 2003, the al-Qaeda-affiliated Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group (Groupe Islamique Combattant Marocain or GICM) and its subgroup, Salafia Jihadia, killed 33 people and wounded more than 100 others in suicide bombings throughout Casablanca. Twelve suicide bombers loyal to the Salafia Jihadia organization detonated bombs hidden in backpacks in the Casa de España restaurant, the Hotel Farah, the Jewish Alliance of Casablanca, and sites near the Belgian consulate and an old Jewish cemetery. In total, forty-five people (33 victims and 12 suicide bombers) lost their lives, and at least 100 were injured.
Casablanca Bombings Map
Out of the initial commando of fifteen, three abandoned their plans on the spot and were later arrested. The interrogation of the surviving suicide bombers led to the terrorist cell's ringleader, Abdelhak Bentassir, who had demanded that members of the cell make an oath of allegiance towards him after following a radical preacher. Bentassir later died in police custody in unclear circumstances.
According to the authorities, the suicide bombers were loyal to a group named Salafia Jihadia. All of the suicide bombers came from the slums of Sidi Moumen, including the first suicide bomber to be radicalized, 24-year-old night guard Mohamed Omari.
Karim El Mejjati, who is believed with Houssaïni to have given bomb-making instructions to Bentassir. Investigators believe that Bentassir was "the only link" between the masterminds of Salafia Jihadia and the suicide bombers. He regularly visited future terrorists and gave them lessons in terrorism.
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Boulikdane was in charge of making the explosives with Omari, with Boulikdane obtaining gunpowder while Omari provided lab equipment. The manual given to Bentassir lacks information on making a long-distance fuze, despite El Mejjati and Houssaïni knowing how to detonate a charge remotely.
In the summer of 2001, the group carried a bomb test in a landfill in Hay Attacharouk. The bomb, attached to a long-distance fuze, did not explode. The group carried a successful attempt to detonate another bomb in the Sidi Moumen cemetery in December 2002, with Boulikdane and Omari reportedly jumping in joy upon seeing the blast. This occurred as last suicide bomber was recruited, 28-year-old kung-fu instructor and welder Rachid Jalil.
A security guard attempted to stop the group before one of the suicide bombers pulled out a knife and slit the guard's throat. Mohamed Omari attempted to throw a homemade grenade before being knocked unconscious by the blast. Omari was barely able to get up and attempted to run before being tackled by other hotel employees as well as taxi driver Mostafa Tahiri.
Among the victims was former Raja AC footballer Abdellatif Beggar, who was with friends at the Casa de España restaurant. Raja AC gave an apartment in Casablanca to Beggar's family following his death. Raja AC's historical rival in the Casablanca derby, the Wydad AC, offered 10 percent of the profits from their following football match.
Immediately after the attacks, authorities arrested surviving suicide bomber Mohamed Omari at the scene after he was injured by another suicide bomber's blast before being tackled by hotel staff and bystanders. Omari's confession led to the arrest of failed suicide bomber Rachid Jalil on May 18 at the Oued Mellah forest range, where he "reminisced of Afghanistan".
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Aftermath and Legal Repercussions
In the immediate aftermath of the attacks, a tough counter-terrorism bill was signed which was compared to the Patriot Act. The attacks shined light on the state of shantytowns in the country, with a government initiative fighting against slums being announced the following year.
Radical preacher Mohamed Fizazi was sentenced to 30 years in prison for his ideological influence on the attackers. The attacks led to a judicial purge against Salafia Jihadia, with Minister of Justice Mohamed Bouzoubaa announcing in 2004 that 2,112 indictments were filed against extremists leading to 903 convictions and 13 death sentences.
On August 19, 2003, the court delivered its verdict, with 37 sentenced to life in prison, 17 sentenced to thirty years, and 16 sentenced to twenty years. The surviving suicide bombers, Mohamed Omari, Rachid Jalil, and Hassan Taoussi were sentenced to death.
In December 2005, the Court of Appeal of Salé handed down a death sentence to Salafia Islamia members Mohcine Bouarfa and Taoufik El Hanouichi. El Hanouichi murdered Albert Rebibo while on the run from authorities in connections with the Casablanca attacks. In 2009, Hassan El Haski was acquitted of charges relating to the attacks by an anti-terrorism court in Salé.
The Marrakech Bombing of 2011
In April 2011, militants set off remote-controlled bombs in the western city of Marrakesh, killing 17 people. The Moroccan government linked the attack to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), though the al-Qaeda affiliate quickly denied responsibility.
A suspected suicide attack blew apart a well-known tourist cafe in the Moroccan city of Marrakech on Thursday killing at least 15 people, including 11 tourists, and injuring at least 20 more. If the bombing is the work of Islamists, it will be their first major attack in Morocco since 2003, when a spate of suicide bombings in the commercial capital, Casablanca, killed more than 45 people.
At around 11.50am the blast ripped through the second story of a cafe overlooking Marrakech's Jamaa-el-Fnaa square, the most popular tourist spot in the old imperial city at the foot of the Atlas mountains. The Argana cafe, lauded in guidebooks for its panoramic view, was blown apart by the force of the explosion, its second storey reduced to mangled wreckage. Witnesses described the blast sending people flying from their chairs.
There were conflicting accounts of how the attack took place. One witness who escaped unharmed told Agence France Presse that a man had entered the cafe and ordered an orange juice before blowing himself up minutes later. Others said a bomber dropped a suitcase before walking out of the building.
The Moroccan interior ministry said early evidence collected from the scene confirmed it was a bomb attack. Other local officials said indications were of a suicide attack and traces of nails were found in one of the bodies at the hospital. Initially, within moments of the explosion, officials had blamed a gas canister catching fire.
Eleven of the dead were believed to be tourists, around half were women and at least six were French, according to Moroccan television.
The Marrakech blast is likely to hurt Morocco's tourist trade, a major source of revenue, which is already struggling to recover from the effects of the global downturn.
Morocco's main stock exchange, the Casablanca bourse, was down 3.3% by early afternoon. "People are panicking," said a trader on the bourse. "This is a terrorist act and it will affect the economy and tarnish the country's image.
Morocco's approach to counter terrorism and violent extremism - El Mostafa Rezrazi
ISIS and Other Threats
ISIS has not carried out an attack inside Morocco, though Moroccan security forces have disrupted a number of ISIS-linked cells since at least 2014.
Moroccan security forces have worked to disrupt these cells since at least August 2014, when police arrested nine ISIS operatives in the northern cities of Tetouan, Fez, and Fnideq. According to authorities, the suspects had been working to recruit and facilitate the travel of Moroccan foreign fighters to join ISIS in Syria and Iraq.
In 2019, Moroccan law enforcement targeted and reportedly arrested 125 individuals and dismantled over 25 terrorist cells. The cells allegedly were in the early stages of planning and coordinating attacks against public buildings and tourist sites.
A joint operation between Moroccan and Spanish security forces in August 2015 resulted in the arrest of 13 ISIS suspects in northern Morocco and one ISIS suspect in the central Spanish town of San Martin de la Vega. The Moroccan and Spanish ministries said the suspects were recruiting fighters to join the terrorist group in Iraq and Syria, and were also plotting attacks within Morocco and Spain.
Despite the presence of domestic ISIS-linked cells in Morocco, the terror group has reportedly struggled to embed its top operatives in the country. However, in December 2018, three men, Abdessamad Ejjoud, Younes Ouaziyad, and Rachid Afatti-who were allegedly inspired by ISIS but had no established contact with ISIS members in combat zones-beheaded two Scandinavian hikers in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains. On July 18, 2019, the three men were sentenced to death in a Salé court.
Foreign Terrorist Fighters
Morocco has also struggled with the flight and return of foreign terrorist fighters. As of March 2017, security sources estimated that approximately 2,000 Moroccans had left the kingdom to fight alongside extremist groups in Iraq and Syria. About 200 of those militants have reportedly returned to Morocco, where they have faced arrest.
Counterterrorism Measures
Morocco passed its first counterterrorism legislation package ten days after the May 2003 Casablanca bombings. In June 2015, the government amended the country’s criminal code to address the issue of foreign fighters-making it illegal to join, attempt to join, or recruit others to join a terrorist group abroad.
The government also launched a nationwide surveillance campaign, “Operation Hadar,” in which members of the gendarmerie, police, and military are deployed throughout the country to monitor and prevent domestic terrorism. The kingdom has worked to empower female imams, launch peer education programs, and create counter-narrative comic books as part of the fight against extremist ideology.
Morocco is a founding member of the Global Counter Terrorism Forum (GCTF), belongs to the Global Initiative to Counter Nuclear Terrorism, and has hosted conferences led by the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre. The kingdom also cooperates with the United States on a number of domestic counterterrorism-related issues, like with the Department of Justice and the FBI.
Alongside the crown's security measures, Morocco has pursued a series of reforms in the religious realm aimed at reducing the influence of extremist ideologies. These reforms have brought greater state control over religious institutions, including several hundred Quranic schools dotting Morocco's landscape and its roughly 50,000 mosques.
School curricula have been altered to promote Islamic teachings compatible with notions of human rights and religious tolerance. Additionally, the monarchy has imposed new training regulations for imams and others wishing to teach Islam. Beginning in 2005, for example, the state began training a corps of imam supervisors, including women, to regularly meet with prayer leaders and ensure that the religious discourse being disseminated in mosques reflected "moderate Islam," as termed by the leadership.
A principal goal of such programs is to counter the more rigid ideological strains of Islamism affiliated with ultraconservative, or Salafi, Islam. Salafism itself is tolerated in the kingdom so long as it does not promote violence or reject the monarchical framework, and in recent years prominent Salafi clerics imprisoned following the 2003 Casablanca attack have been granted amnesty in exchange for softening their public discourse and disavowing jihadist groups such as IS and al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.
The Diaspora and Terrorism
The prominence of Moroccan expatriates among the perpetrators of high-profile attacks contrasts with the kingdom's relative success in containing its own domestic jihadism threat. The recent terrorist attacks in Spain and Finland have been linked almost exclusively to young men of Moroccan origin, sparking concern that the kingdom has become a breeding ground for jihadists.
The Moroccan diaspora in Europe is extensive, numbering several million, compared with a home-country population of around 36 million; but precise numbers, or even definitions of Moroccans by immigration status, vary considerably. Most live in Francophone countries such as France or Belgium, with scattered communities elsewhere across the continent.
An unusual aspect of the Moroccan diaspora is its comparatively close institutional connectivity. For example, a European Council of Moroccan Ulema (Islamic clerics) works to coordinate communication, charity, and other aspects of community life. And the kingdom itself maintains a relatively strong interest in Moroccans abroad.
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