MOROCCAN MFA OFFERS OFFICIAL VERSION OF TERROR

C O N F I D E N T I A L RABAT 001631 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/01/2016 TAGS: PTER KISL MO SUBJECT: MOROCCAN MFA OFFERS OFFICIAL VERSION OF TERROR CELL INVESTIGATION REF: RABAT 1579 Classified by Ambassador Thomas Riley for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Summary: A senior MFA official invited in the Ambassador on September 1 to give him the GOM's formal version of the ongoing investigation of the Ansar El-Mahdi terrorist cell. Most of the briefing consisted of a summary of basic facts of the case already in the public domain. The official emphasized that the only military and security personnel recruited into the cell were low-ranking persons occupying marginal positions. The briefing was ostensibly offered in the interest of "full transparency" but could suggest some GOM insecurity about how the facts of the case are being treated in the public domain. End summary. ¶2. (C) Ambassador Youssef Amrani, Director-General for Bilateral Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, invited in the Ambassador on September 1 to deliver a briefing on the ongoing "Ansar El-Mahdi" terrorism investigation. Advising the Ambassador that he had just completed (separate) meetings with the British, French, and Spanish Ambassadors, Amrani said that the GOM wanted to ensure that the USG, as "one of our closest partners in the battle against terrorism," was fully briefed on the case. ¶3. (C) Amrani briefly reviewed with the Ambassador highlights of the case, beginning with the "dismantlement" of the Ansar El-Mahdi terror cell in July and August, "as a result of the vigilance of the Moroccan security services" - an operation which has led to 52 arrests so far. Amrani named Hassan El-Khattab a.k.a. Abou Ossama as the "Salafist-jihadi" leader of the cell, asserting that he is linked to Al-Qa'ida. Khattab had been among those jailed following the May 2003 terror attacks in Casablanca, Amrani noted, adding that the GOM believes he managed to organize the Ansar El-Mahdi cell during his time in jail. ¶4. (C) Amrani acknowledged that some members of the Moroccan military and security services had been recruited to join the Ansar El-Mahdi, but stressed that all those recruited had been low level personnel with marginal positions. "Thus we cannot say that Moroccan security has been penetrated," he asserted. "Many other details of this case have been communicated to your government through the appropriate security channels," he added. ¶5. (C) Amrani emphasized that the GOM was committed to conducting this investigation "with full transparency, full commitment to the rule of law, and respect for human rights and civil liberties." The proof of the GOM's commitment to transparency in this matter, Amrani continued, was the extensive details on the group's makeup, organization, and plans that it had already made public. ¶6. (C) "Morocco is totally committed to defeating terrorism, and we are taking many political as well as security measures," to advance the fight, Amrani added. Reforms the GOM is pursuing in various economic and social spheres all fit in to the overall battle against terrorism, he emphasized. Amrani passed the Ambassador a non paper summarizing the points he made orally. ¶7. (C) Thanking Amrani for the briefing, the Ambassador asked whether the GOM's initiative to brief the U.S. and other western ambassadors on the Mahdi case suggested that "people are either too worried, or not worried enough" about the current terrorist threat in Morocco. Amrani responded that this initiative reflected the GOM's "new style" of dealing with such matters, "with full transparency" as opposed to the "old style" that kept too many facts out of the public domain. Amrani lamented that there was still much misinformation in circulation in the media, underscoring the need for a forthcoming and open approach. ¶8. (C) Comment: The "briefing" delivered to us and other western states contained no new revelations, nor did it offer any variations on the GOM's public line in the Mahdi case. The fact that they would go to the trouble of giving such a briefing may suggest that the GOM feels insecure about how the details of the case are being treated in the domestic and international media. Amrani's message was probably intended to minimize concern in the USG and other governments about some of the most potentially alarming aspects of the case, such as the notion that the Moroccan security establishment could be penetrated or infiltrated by terrorist elements. End comment. ****************************************** Visit Embassy Rabat's Classified Website; http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/rabat ****************************************** RILEY