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.

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RILEY