Morocco Arrests Two Suspected IS Jihadists

Moroccan authorities on Thursday arrested two suspected members of the Islamic State group thought to have been planning attacks in the kingdom, the interior ministry said.

Security services also seized various materials and equipment "suspected of being used in the manufacture of explosive charges," it said. 

The two suspects, who were active in the North African country's commercial capital Casablanca, "planned terrorist attacks in the kingdom and procured equipment used in the manufacture of improvised explosive devices," the ministry added.

The Moroccan authorities have regularly announced the dismantling of IS cells and arrest of suspected jihadist recruiters in recent months.

The kingdom has been spared deadly jihadist attacks since a 2011 bombing in Marrakesh's famed Jamaa El Fna Square, which killed 17 people, mainly European tourists.