Moroccan police have arrested five members of a suspected terrorist cell last week ,that was active in both Morocco and Spain, a security source said.
The five were allied to the Salafiya Jihadia movement that aims to overthrow the Moroccan government and set up an Islamic state, Reuter`s reports.
All are of Moroccan origin and were residents of Ceuta, a densely populated Spanish enclave lying on the northern edge of Morocco opposite the Spanish mainland.
The source said their leader went by the name of Abou Yacine and had already served two years in prison for ties to Ansar el Mehdi, a militant cell that plotted to topple the monarchy that has ruled Morocco for five centuries.
The authorities seized three vehicles registered in Ceuta along with documents and audio recordings encouraging an armed Islamic uprising, suicide bombings and the execution of hostages held by al Qaeda, the source said.
Abou Yacine used previous experience as a drug dealer to set up the cell in Ceuta and establish links with the Spanish mainland, the source added.
Anti-terrorism cooperation between Moroccan and European authorities has intensified after Moroccans were found to be involved in train bombings in the Spanish capital Madrid that killed 191 people in 2004.
Some 1000 Islamic militants are serving jail sentences in Morocco. Most have been arrested since 2003 when suicide bombings killed 45 people in the financial capital Casablanca.
Advocates for Moroccan Islamist prisoners say many of them were rounded up because of their religious beliefs and imprisoned after unfair trials. The government insists that only genuine criminals were jailed using hard evidence.
