Speaking at a press briefing, Habboub stressed that the cell’s dangerousness was not only due to its advanced planning and preparation for terrorist attacks but also because of the increasing role of familial indoctrination in nurturing extremism and recruiting individuals to carry out attacks.
Acting on intelligence from the General Directorate for Territorial Surveillance (DGST), the BCIJ thwarted an imminent terrorist plot on Sunday, preventing a series of explosive attacks in preparation. The operation led to the arrest of four extremists, including three brothers, affiliated with Daesh. The suspects, aged 26, 29, 31, and 35, were operating in the Had Soualem region, Berrechid province.
According to Habboub, the dismantling of the "three brothers" terror cell reflects an emerging security and social challenge: the spread of extremist ideology within entire families, creating enclaves resistant to Moroccan customs, traditions, and religious unity, under the influence of certain family members imbued with extremist ideology on their social entourage.
Habboub lamented that the so-called "emir" of the cell—the eldest brother—managed to turn his family into an incubator of radicalization, recruitment, and indoctrination, exploiting his moral authority to influence his relatives and immediate social circle.
While the Moroccan family structure has traditionally been a bulwark against radical ideologies, promoting tolerance, coexistence, and moderation, counterterrorism investigations have uncovered growing patterns of familial indoctrination. He cited the "female cell" dismantled on October 3, 2016, where most members had fallen under the sway of Daesh ideology through family influence.
Habboub warned that this threat is becoming more acute as international terrorist organizations, particularly Daesh, actively exploit family-based recruitment to advance their destructive agendas. He pointed to the December 11, 2015 "Islamic State in the Islamic Maghreb" cell, in which fighters from conflict zones enlisted their relatives to take part in terrorist activities aimed at destabilizing Morocco.
