Moroccan authorities said Wednesday they dismantled a cell where Daesh (ISIS) had been recruiting fighters, AFP reported.
The militants were arrested by the Central Bureau of Judicial Investigation, a new government branch that was created to help the country's security against extremists. The interior ministry said the group had received enough foreign funding to allow the recruits to travel from the cell in Fez to training camps in Iraq and Syria.
"The members of this recruitment cell had received significant foreign funding for the necessary expenses to allow for travel and movement of these fighters," the ministry's statement said.
Morocco has taken pride in making extra efforts against extremist groups, according to the AFP, such as providing anti-jihad units and training imams to preach tolerance.
The ministry said 130 cells have been dismantled, nearly 3,000 suspects arrested and 276 attacks stopped since 2002. An estimated 2,000 Moroccans have left to fight with Daesh, according to the British-based International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation.
