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ISIS Plot in Morocco Foiled with US Help

Moroccan special forces stand guard at the entrance of a building during a counter-terrorism operation in Temara, on the outskirts of Rabat, Morocco September 10, 2020. REUTERS/Youssef Boudlal/File Photo
Moroccan special forces stand guard at the entrance of a building during a counter-terrorism operation in Temara, on the outskirts of Rabat, Morocco September 10, 2020. REUTERS/Youssef Boudlal/File Photo
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ISIS Plot in Morocco Foiled with US Help

Moroccan special forces stand guard at the entrance of a building during a counter-terrorism operation in Temara, on the outskirts of Rabat, Morocco September 10, 2020. REUTERS/Youssef Boudlal/File Photo
Moroccan special forces stand guard at the entrance of a building during a counter-terrorism operation in Temara, on the outskirts of Rabat, Morocco September 10, 2020. REUTERS/Youssef Boudlal/File Photo

Moroccan security forces with US support have foiled a suspected bomb plot by ISIS and arrested a supporter of the organization, counter-terror police said Friday.

"This arrest is the culmination of close collaboration between (Moroccan security forces) and US law-enforcement," Morocco's Central Bureau of Judicial Investigation (BCIJ) said in a statement.

The arrested suspect was "an extremist belonging to ISIS" from the Sala Al-Jadida region north of Rabat, the statement added.

According to preliminary inquiries the man had pledged allegiance to the group.

He had planned to join foreign militant training camps "before deciding to join a terror plot in Morocco using explosive devices", the statement added.

The police subsequently seized electronic devices and materials used for the preparation of explosives.

"This security operation highlights the importance and effectiveness of bilateral cooperation between (Moroccan security services) and US intelligence and security agencies in the fight against extremist violence and the threat of international terrorism," the BCIJ said.

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EU Official: 175 Mn Euro Syria Recovery Package 'Clear Message' of Support

EU Commissioner for Mediterranean Dubravka Suica arrives to attend a College of Commissioners meeting at the EU headquarters in Brussels on May 21, 2025. (Photo by Nicolas TUCAT / AFP)
EU Commissioner for Mediterranean Dubravka Suica arrives to attend a College of Commissioners meeting at the EU headquarters in Brussels on May 21, 2025. (Photo by Nicolas TUCAT / AFP)
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EU Official: 175 Mn Euro Syria Recovery Package 'Clear Message' of Support

EU Commissioner for Mediterranean Dubravka Suica arrives to attend a College of Commissioners meeting at the EU headquarters in Brussels on May 21, 2025. (Photo by Nicolas TUCAT / AFP)
EU Commissioner for Mediterranean Dubravka Suica arrives to attend a College of Commissioners meeting at the EU headquarters in Brussels on May 21, 2025. (Photo by Nicolas TUCAT / AFP)

Visiting EU Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Suica said Thursday that a 175 million euro package for war-torn Syria was a "clear message" of support for its reconstruction.

Suica announced the package in Damascus Wednesday, saying it would focus on sectors including energy, education, health and agriculture, helping rebuild Syria's economy, support its institutions and promote human rights.

"I came here... with a clear message that we are here to assist and help Syria on its recovery," Suica told AFP in an interview on Thursday.

"We want that reconstruction and recovery will be Syria-owned and Syria-led," she said, on the first visit by an EU commissioner since a transitional government was unveiled in late March.

"We want to see Syria to be a regular, normal, democratic country in the future," she added.

The European Union announced last month it would lift economic sanctions on Syria in a bid to help its recovery.

"This is a pivotal moment -- a new chapter in EU-Syria relations," Suica said on X, calling her meeting with interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa "constructive".

Like Syria's neighbors, Western governments are keen to steer it onto the road to stability after the war triggered an exodus of millions of refugees.

Refugee returns should be "safe, voluntary and dignified", Suica said.

The EU has not designated Syria as a safe country for returns "because we don't want to push people to come here and then they don't have a home", she said.