Morocco dismantles female terrorist recruiting cell

Moroccan authorities on Tuesday announced that they had dismantled a terror cell involved in recruiting women to join the Islamic State, IS, in Syria and Iraq.

The authorities announced that seven persons were arrested in the operation.

According to the official report, the operation was coordinated with the Spanish police, and led to the arrest of two heads of the cell that were based in Fnideq.

The others were arrested in Barcelone in Spain and Mellilia, the other Spanish enclave in North Africa.

It said investigations had confirmed the involvement of women in attracting volunteers for IS in order to tutor them in suicide bombings.

In July, the Moroccan Interior Minister, Mohamed Hassad, said in a parliamentary hearing session that 1,122 Moroccan citizens were enrolled in jihadist and terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq.

Hassad also said no fewer than 2,000 Moroccan origins with European passports had also enrolled in these groups.