Six detained in Morocco over ISIL allegiance pledge

Six suspects have been arrested in Morocco after a video showed masked men pledging allegiance to the ISIL terror group, which is wreaking havoc on Iraq and Syria.

Three people were detained in connection with the video on Saturday and three more on Sunday, said the Moroccan Interior Ministry in a statement on Sunday.

The head of the group and two of his accomplices “were jailed in 2008… for their involvement in terrorist plots” and links with al-Qaeda, the statement added.

The ministry further said that the suspects also “threatened to carry out criminal acts” in Morocco after receiving military training at ISIL camps in Libya, Syria and Iraq.

Security forces and police also seized a cell phone used to film the video as well as a blade that one suspect held.

The arrests were made after media reports said the footage which emerged last week was filmed in Morocco and showed three men holding the ISIL flag and introducing themselves as belonging to the terrorist group.

In recent weeks, the Moroccan government has announced the arrests of several would-be militants. The country boosted security across the kingdom in October to counter any threat.

According to authorities, over 2,000 Moroccan militants, including some with dual nationality, are now operating in Syria and Iraq where the ISIL terrorists currently control large swathes of territory.

The Takfiri militants have committed savagery in both countries, including mass executions and beheading of local residents as well as foreign nationals.

Earlier this month, a Jordanian court handed down jail terms to five people for being members of the ISIL Takfiri terror group and promoting it on the Internet.