CAIRO — Morocco has raised its security alert amid the threat of an
Al Qaida strike.
Moroccan security sources said authorities have raised the threat alert
to Code Yellow in wake of an intelligence report that Al Qaida-aligned
insurgents have infiltrated the North African kingdom. They said the
insurgents intend to conduct a series of attacks in Morocco.
"We believe that the terrorists have come from Algeria," a security
source said.
Sources said Code Yellow, one below the highest level of alert,
required authorities to increase security at all installations regarded as
critical and sensitive. They said this included Western embassies and
diplomatic residences, Middle East Newsline reported.
The sources said a high-level meeting was held over the weekend in
Quneitra to discuss the insurgency threat. They said senior intelligence and
police commanders drafted plans to bolster security in major cities in
Morocco.
The Saudi-owned Elaph news agency reported that Moroccan authorities
have identified more than 30 suspects in the planned insurgency operation.
On Wednesday, Elaph, quoting high-level Moroccan security sources, said the
suspects were aligned with Algeria's Salafist Brigade for Combat and Call,
today part of the Al Qaida network.
Elaph said the threat alert was based on information relayed to Morocco
by U.S. and European intelligence agencies. The news agency said a key
planner was identified as a fugitive of the Islamic insurgency suicide
bombings in Morocco in 2003.
Al Qaida has used Morocco and other North African countries for the
recruitment of Muslim volunteers to fight the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq.
Authorities have blocked plans by six Moroccan groups to stage a festival to
honor the late Saddam Hussein.
