Had Soualem terror cell : Family-based radicalization on the rise, says BCIJ chief

Ya Biladi

30-01-2025

The recent dismantling of a terror cell in Had Soualem highlights the escalating threat of family-based radicalization as a significant factor in extremism and terrorist recruitment, according to Cherkaoui Habboub, Director of Morocco's Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations (BCIJ). Speaking at a press briefing in Salé, Habboub emphasized that the cell's danger lay not only in its advanced planning for attacks but also in the growing role of family indoctrination in fostering extremism.
Acting on intelligence from the General Directorate for Territorial Surveillance (DGST), the BCIJ thwarted an imminent terrorist plot on Sunday, averting a series of planned explosive attacks. The operation resulted in the arrest of four extremists, including three brothers, affiliated with Daesh. The suspects, aged 26, 29, 31, and 35, were active in the Had Soualem region of Berrechid province.
Habboub noted that the dismantling of the «three brothers» terror cell reflects a new security and social challenge: the infiltration of extremist ideology within entire families. This creates resistant enclaves to Moroccan customs, traditions, and religious unity, influenced by family members imbued with radical views.
He expressed concern that the cell's leader, the eldest brother, had transformed his family into a hub of radicalization, recruitment, and indoctrination, leveraging his moral authority to sway his relatives and their immediate social circle.
While the Moroccan family structure has traditionally served as a defense against radical ideologies, promoting tolerance and moderation, counterterrorism investigations have revealed increasing patterns of familial indoctrination. Habboub referenced the «female cell» dismantled on October 3, 2016, where many members were influenced by Daesh ideology through family ties.
Habboub warned that this threat is becoming more pronounced as international terrorist organizations, particularly Daesh, exploit family-based recruitment to further their destructive goals. He cited the December 11, 2015, «Islamic State in the Islamic Maghreb» cell, where fighters from conflict zones recruited relatives for terrorist activities aimed at destabilizing Morocco.