Morocco has been one of the most stable and effective North African countries in countering Islamist extremism and terrorism, maintaining the nation safe from attacks after the 2003 Casablanca bombings and closely cooperating with European authorities in dismantling jihadist cells in the Old Continent and especially in Spain. Morocco has also been cooperating with Israel on security matters.

This is an important point since, when active, Moroccan jihadism has shown consistent capabilities and a high level of danger, as highlighted by the activity of the Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group (GICM) in North Africa and Europe in the early 2000s. The GICM and its associated members have been linked to the 2003 Casablanca bombings and the 2004 Madrid train bombings. A major crackdown against the organization's networks damaged the GICM's capabilities and the group was removed from the United States’ list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations in 2013, seemingly confirming its complete dissolution.

However, the recent terrorist attack in Tel Aviv involving the 29-year-old Moroccan citizen and green card holder Abdel Aziz Kaddi, who stabbed five people on Tuesday January 21st, raised questions and concerns about a potential new wave of terrorist attacks perpetrated by the Moroccan diaspora in the West; a potential ideological-operational legacy of what was once organized jihadism originating in Morocco.

Kaddi had arrived at Ben Gurion Airport three days before the attack where, after being unable to provide a clear reason for his visit and who he was supposed to meet with, he was handed over to Shin Bet for further questioning; however, his entry was ultimately approved by security officials and he received security clearance from officials despite being flagged during airport checks.

Kaddi had shared anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian content on his social network accounts, accusing the Jewish State of starving the people in Gaza and referring to the “doubling of the martyrs of Islam”, following the October 7^th massacre.

However, Kaddi is not the only terrorist from Morocco who made the headlines this week and, considering the many counter-terror operations that have already occurred in Spain since the summer of 2024 targeting Moroccans, the concerns about an increase of jihadist activities among the Moroccan diaspora in the West is more than legitimate. In addition, on at least three occasions, the targets of the attacks were to be Jews or Israelis.

On January 22^nd, the Italian police arrested 30-year-old Firoun Mourad, originally from a suburb of Casablanca, who had been living in Italy since 2023. The arrest occurred in San Giuseppe Vesuviano, a satellite town of greater Naples.

Mourad is accused of planning attacks on the Jewish community of Naples and spreading ISIS propaganda online that included beheadings, terrorist attacks in Europe, images of weapons, Quranic citations of jihad and he also shared training content provided by the terrorist organization.

According to the investigation, the individual was directly in touch with ISIS members who were ready to strike on Italian soil and shared videos of recent terror attacks in Germany, before the media provided the specific details.

In addition, Mourad used Telegram and Whatsapp channels to interact with other Moroccans such as two twin brothers, with whom he referred to a Hadith by Bukhari about “killing the Jews who are hiding behind a stone or a tree”. On October 20^th, 2024, Mourad conducted a 20-minutes-long recon near Naples’ Synagogue, shortly after stating that “through jihad and force we will kill the Jews, with the help of Allah”. Investigations are still ongoing as it is possible that Mourad was at the center of a transnational network, with a strong Moroccan component, operating on behalf of ISIS.

It is worth recalling that in May 2024, the Italian police also proceeded to re-arrest 29-year-old Moroccan citizen Halili al-Mahdi, a well-known ISIS propagandist, and charged him with participation in an international terrorist association, after an investigation by the Digos, coordinated by the Public Prosecutor's Office of the Piedmont capital.

Halili had already been arrested twice, in 2015 and 2018. He was convicted in 2019, with a sentence that became irrevocable in 2022, for his membership in the Islamic State terrorist organization and for his role as the 'ideologue' of Jihad in Italy. At the end of July 2023 he was released from prison, but due to bureaucratic technicalities he was not expelled, despite his Italian citizenship having been revoked. During his detention in Turin and Sassari and after his release, according to investigators, El-Mahdi strengthened his jihadist and pro-ISIS beliefs, repeatedly expressing violent intentions.

In July 2024, the Spanish police, in cooperation with the Moroccan DGST, conducted a series of arrests, mainly in Melilla, where they detained a group of Moroccan jihadists affiliated with ISIS who were ready to strike different targets including the Jewish community. 

At the end of October 2024, another operation coordinated by Spanish and Moroccan authorities led to the arrest of two individuals in Melilla, accused of being active members of ISIS involved in recruiting and training terrorists for imminent attacks to be carried out. A third individual was arrested in Asturias on charges of spreading pro-ISIS material on social media, including calls for jihad and incitement for Muslims in Melilla to revolt.

It is also relevant to recall that many Moroccan immigrants took place in the attacks against the Maccabi Tel Aviv fans in Amsterdam, with the right-wing Dutch political leader Geert Wilders consequently blaming Moroccan thugs, accusing them of “wanting to destroy the Jews” and recommending the deportation of those involved.

The Moroccan connection

While the Israeli, the Italian, and the Spanish cases are not interconnected, some key elements are worth highlighting. The first one, indeed, is the fact that all the involved networks mostly consist of Moroccan citizens highly active on social media in sharing jihadist material and recruiting terrorists.  The second one concerns the selection of targets, Jews and Israelis, who have become a primary objective since October 7^th. The third one relates to the resurfacing of ISIS as a melting pot for transnational jihadism this time in full support of the Palestinian cause.

The Moroccan diaspora has become a major breeding ground for jihadist activity, and it is not unrelated to the situation within the country, as explained by Irina Tsukerman, national security and human rights lawyer and a Fellow at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs:

"For many years, Morocco took pride in its close security cooperation with the United States and Europe on counterterrorism activity. Nevertheless, beneath the surface of apparently effective internal and external intelligence, problems were never too far. Many of the extremists were ultimately expelled or fled the country to stir trouble abroad. However, radicalized Islamists were a significant contributing contingent to regional and foreign terrorist organizations, despite effective preventative measures”.  

And again:

“Terrorist organizations such as Al Qaeda and ISIS became favored recruiting grounds for young Moroccans in Europe utilizing self-isolation in communities, economic issues, and other social factors to recruit heavily there”.

It may be worth recalling that, in November 2024, the Moroccan government found itself at the center of accusations, with activists questioning limitations imposed on imams regarding what they may say during the Friday sermons regarding the war in the Middle East and the Palestinian situation.

 Since Moroccan imams are State employees, their sermons cannot be overtly political, but the war in Gaza contributed to raising tensions in the country. The Minister of Islamic Affairs, Ahmed Toufiq, denied that imams are prohibited from referring to the Israel-Hamas conflict, explaining that critics towards barbarism and injustice are welcome, but acknowledged and defended the prohibition on calls for jihad. 

The issue is indeed very complex as the boundary between the Israeli-Palestinian situation and the call for jihad is extremely blurred. To all this, a series of issues must be added, ranging from the normalization of relations between Israel and Morocco in 2020, strongly contested during the post-October 7^th demonstrations, but also strong tensions between the Moroccan society and the State due to the post-Covid economic situation. 

It is understandable that within Moroccan institutions there is concern about the possible increase in the level of radicalization among the population and this can also affect the diaspora in Western countries. In addition, Moroccan laws on jihad are very harsh, with penalties of up to 10 years in prison. Since the 2003 Casablanca bombings, which intended to target Jews, there have been no further attacks, thanks to the intelligence and counter-terror activity. The risk, however, is that Moroccan-linked jihadism could further expand and try to strike Jewish targets in the West, as recently seen.

Indeed, it is yet too soon to predict the outcomes, but the phenomenon should be closely monitored because the possibility of a reconstruction of the transnational jihadist network originating in Morocco and operating within its diaspora is always possible; ideologically embracing the Palestinian cause while at the same time trying to disrupt Morocco’s ties with Israel.