Special to WorldTribune.com

CAIRO — Morocco has reported the capture of another Al Qaida cell.

The Interior Ministry said five suspected insurgents were arrested in Marrakesh on suspicion of being linked to the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant. The ministry said three of them were recruited by ISIL to fight in its wars in Iraq and Syria while the remaining two were plotting suicide bombings in Morocco.

“The two other men were known for promoting terrorist ideas,” the Interior Ministry said.

Morocco was said to be a leading contributor to ISIL. Rabat has estimated that more than 3,000 Moroccans, both in the kingdom and abroad, joined ISIL and Al Qaida’s Nusra Front for the Defense of Levant.

The Interior Ministry statement on Nov. 15 marked the second capture of an Al Qaida-aligned cell in less than a week. On Nov. 13, five French nationals, several of whom lived in Marrakesh, were arrested on charges of plotting attacks. Marrakesh has been deemed the tourist capital of the North African kingdom.

Officials said Al Qaida and ISIL were targeting Morocco as they sought to expand their presence in North Africa. In 2011, at least 13 tourists were killed in a bombing of a cafe in Marrakesh.

  Moroccans said ripe for ISIL recruitment as 2nd Al Qaida cell captured in Marrakesh, WorldTribune.com