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Morocco Security

Morocco does have an element of domestic terrorism. However, the groups focus primarily on Moroccan government institutions and secondarily on western and U.S. interests or policies. Morocco does have an element of organized crime that is rooted in the illegal drug trade and importation of stolen vehicles from Europe.

Islamic extremism appeals to only a small minority of Moroccans, although rapid growth in urban poverty has fed the Islamic movement. A disturbing phenomenon has been the appearance of gangs in urban slums willing to use violence to enforce their conception of religiously correct behavior. While there are no accurate election or opinion poll results upon which to base an estimate, it is likely that active adherents of non-violent political Islam probably account for nearly one fourth of the population. These non-violent Islamists are for the most part divided between those who have elected to cooperate with the regime and those who have not. The former have a political party, the Party of Justice and Development, and are represented in Parliament. The latter form a tightly disciplined organization with more adherents than the aforementioned political party, yet they remain outside the realm of political legitimacy and the authorities tightly restrict their activities.

The potential for terrorist attacks against American interest remains high in Morocco, but the government of Morocco continues its efforts to identify, locate, and disrupt Islamic extremist and terrorist cells that are operating in this country. The security services of Morocco have had many successful arrests and subsequent prosecutions of members of terrorist cells living and operating in Morocco. Those arrested in recent years have been linked to radical extremism, and some have allegedly been associated with regional and international terrorist groups.

The Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group (Groupe Islamique Combattant Marocain-GICM), which is affiliated with al Qaeda, poses a threat to domestic security, according to the U.S. Department of State. The GICM was implicated in the bombing of commuter trains in Madrid, Spain, in March 2004. Islamist militants responsible for a terrorist attack in Casablanca in May 2003 belonged to another group called Salafiya Jihadiya. Following the incident, Morocco arrested several thousand Islamist militants and sentenced nearly 1,000 for terrorism-related activities. The government also took a variety of measures to tighten security and crack down on potential terrorists.

On May 16, 2003, a cell of Islamist terrorists belonging to a group calling itself Salafiya Jihadiya bombed a series of Jewish targets in Casablanca; 45 people, including 12 suicide bombers, died in the incidents. Indicating that terrorism is a continuing threat, in June 2002 the press reported that Morocco had foiled an al Qaeda conspiracy to attack British and U.S. Navy vessels in the Strait of Gibraltar with explosives-laden dinghies. Morocco arrested three Saudi Arabian nationals in connection with the planned terrorist strike, which appears to have been modeled after al Qaeda's raid on a U.S. Navy ship off Yemen in 2000. Following the Casablanca bombings in 2003, Morocco began to crack down on Islamist militants, including both Salafiya Jihadiya and the Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group (Groupe Islamique Combattant Marocain-GICM). In late 2005, Morocco dismantled several al Qaeda-affiliated cells that had been plotting attacks in the country. Altogether, Morocco has arrested 3,000 suspects, about 1,000 of whom were jailed on terrorism charges, since the Casablanca bombings. The United States has recognized Morocco's support for the war on terrorism by designating Morocco as a non-North Atlantic Treaty Organization ally.

In 2007, Casablanca experienced terrorist bombings that targeted some of the more populated areas of the city and the American consulate. No Americans were killed during these attacks, and after investigations, they appeared to be less organized than attacks seen in other parts of the world. Also in 2007, a suicide bomber unsuccessfully targeted a public bus in Meknes. To date, Rabat has not experienced a successful terrorist attack. In spite of more than 100 arrests in 2008, terrorist cells are still believed to be operating in and around Morocco.

In late 2007, the government's attempt to increase bread prices in response to a short local crop and rising international prices sparked unrest in Sefrou, a relatively small city in the Middle Atlas Mountains. The government's immediate response to this security concern was to essentially take control of the market by fixing the price millers pay for wheat and the price of flour ex-mill. The government reimburses importers the difference in import prices and the price they receive from the mill.

In January of 2009, Casablanca and Rabat, in particular, experienced large, public protests over the armed conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. These protests ranged from a few hundred protesters to as many as 50,000. The majority of protests were peaceful in nature, with the occasional flag burning and anti-American and anti-Israeli chants and slogans.

All lawful protests require the authorization of the local police jurisdiction. This allows the police to establish the duration, route and parameters of the protest. However, impromptu protests have arisen on university campuses, in city centers, and other locations where there are internationally affiliated facilities. Protests are often held in response to world events and the status of the Western Sahara, which continues to be a politically charged issue in Morocco. These reactive protests have the potential to become more violent, as they are usually in response to a particular local or world event, and may fuel emotions or incite an angry response. Unauthorized protests are usually met with a strong response by the police. However, visitors are advised to avoid all protests, especially those involving direct links to conflicts involving Americans or U.S. policies.

According to Moroccan Islamic Affairs Minister Ahmed Toufik, in 2009 of the 45,000 imams in Morocco, all of the 20,000 who conduct Friday services have pledged to eliminate fundamentalism. Since the May 2003 terrorist attacks in Casablanca, the government has been more wary about the messages imams spread during Friday prayers. The post of imam is no longer assigned to all those who come first. Under the new monitoring structure, if an imam preaches on a taboo topic, he is summoned by the local council of ulemas and is reprimanded.