Morocco arrests three French nationals suspected of terrorism financing

Morocco: Moroccan authorities on Tuesday announced the arrest in Salé, near the capital Rabat, of three French nationals, including one of Algerian origin, for their “alleged involvement in the financing of terrorism”, it was reported by Reuters.

The arrests were made Monday by the judicial police, announced the Directorate General of National Security (DGSN) in a statement. Investigations have shown that the suspects have “succeeded in forging close ties with active fighters within the Islamic State (IS) organization in Syria and Iraq,” according to the statement.

They are also suspected of “involvement in fundraising for extremist circles to fund terrorist operations.”

The investigations “continue for the arrest of their accomplices (…) and to determine the possible connections and ramifications of those arrested, both in Morocco and abroad,” the statement said.

The Moroccan authorities had announced, on January 23, the arrest of a French-Algerian national wanted by the French judicial authorities on the basis of an international arrest warrant for “financing of terrorism”. The police did not say whether there was a connection between the two cases.