MOROCCO MOVES TO HIGHEST LEVEL OF TERRORISM ALERT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RABAT 001145

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/12/2017
TAGS: PTER KISL ASEC MO SP
SUBJECT: MOROCCO MOVES TO HIGHEST LEVEL OF TERRORISM ALERT


Classified by Amb. Thomas Riley for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary: Minister of Interior Benmoussa proclaimed on
July 6 a "maximum state of alert" citing a "serious threat of
terrorist attack" based on "reliable intelligence." Despite
a flurry of speculation in the domestic and international
press, the alert is not based on specific threat information.
Benmoussa and other senior security officials told us that
the approach of annual holidays celebrating the monarchy, the
elections at the end of the summer, the annual influx of
expatriates across the (relatively porous) Strait of
Gibraltar, and the continuing general threat from domestic
and transnational terror groups all influenced the decision
to elevate the alert level. While summer has long been a
time of tighter security for the GOM, the announcement this
year reflects the government's commitment to a more
transparent approach aimed at enlisting public support in the
government's fight against terror. The enhanced security
posture has been marked by only a modest increase in police
visibility. End summary.


2. (C) Moroccan and international media seized on the
Ministry of Interior's July 6 announcement that security
forces were being placed on their highest level of alert in
response to a credible threat of terrorist attack. Numerous
reports and much commentary in the media speculated that the
move was linked to recent visits to Morocco by FBI Director
Mueller, German Deputy Interior Minister Hanning, and/or
APHSCT Townsend (although she did not arrive in Morocco until
several hours after the announcement was made).


3. (C) Morocco's top security officials discussed the
elevated threat level with APHSCT Townsend during her July 7
visit to Rabat. Interior Minister Benmoussa, Senior Royal
Advisor Al-Himma, Intel Chief Mansouri, and others all
confirmed that the decision was based not on any single
report or incident but rather on the continuing stream of
general but credible threat reporting and concerns that
terrorists could seek to exploit upcoming events on Morocco's
political calendar, particularly the "Fete du Trone" (Throne
Day) July 30, "Fete de la Jeunesse" (Youth Day - which also
marks King Mohammed VI's birthday) on August 18, and the
parliamentary elections on September 7. All of these
concerns have come in the context of a spring which saw the
merger of the Algerian GSPC with Al-Qaeda, a spate of
abortive (and apparently free-lance) suicide bombings in
Casablanca, and more successful attacks in Algeria.


4. (C) In a subsequent conversation with Econoff, senior MOI
official Khalid Zerouali underscored "credible" if
non-specific information that Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb
(AQIM) is planning "something" for this summer, and
particular concern about the influx of Moroccan expatriates
crossing from Europe for summer vacations. Zerouali expected
the state of alert to hold at least through the September 7
elections. Since the announcement, the visibility of police
and security forces on Morocco's streets has seen only a
modest increase, though we have heard that all leave has been
cancelled for security forces' personnel, a clear indication
that this is more than a cosmetic step.


5. (C) A Spanish diplomat briefed us on July 12 about the
unprecedented visit to Madrid July 10-11 of a senior Moroccan
security delegation composed of Interior Minister Ben Moussa,
Senior Royal Advisor (and Deputy Interior Minister) Al-Himma,
Intel Chief Mansouri, Gendarmerie Commander Benslimane, and
Auxilliary Force Commander LaNigri, along with Deputy Foreign
Minister Fassi Fihri. While security consultations between
the Spanish and Moroccan governments were conducted every
year around this time in advance of the summer travel season,
the diplomat noted, the GOM has never before dispatched such
an array of senior security officials at one time. Our
Spanish contact characterized the talks as moving bilateral
security coordination to a new level. Another Spanish
diplomat acknowledged that the GOS has passed some specific
information to the Moroccans on Al-Qaeda in AQIM activity.


6. (C) More than three million people are expected to pass
across the Strait from Spain to Morocco during the summer
travel season, the diplomat observed, adding that there was
mutual concern between the two governments that security
measures for the crossing travelers were much more lax than
for those traveling by air. He stated that Madrid was
particularly focused on security in the wake of the Moroccan
announcement, "any threat to Morocco may also be a threat to
Spain," but said the Spanish government shared the general
view that the Moroccan move had been precautionary rather
than reactive to a specific threat. He further noted that
adding to the security tension in Spain this summer was the
wait for judgment on 33 suspects tried for their alleged
involvement in the Madrid Train bombings in March 2004. A

RABAT 00001145 002 OF 002


verdict is expected in September.


7. (C) Morocco's decision to announce a general alert also
reflects the GOM's commitment, spurred by Interior Minister
Benmoussa, to develop a more sophisticated approach to the
media and increase the amount of information released to the
public. The Ministry of Interior's increasingly transparent
approach has been noted: an analyst observed to an Arabic
Moroccan daily that the announcement was "the first time
Moroccan authorities have used clear language and precise
words about the terrorist threat."


8. (C) Also in this vein, press reported that Benmoussa and
Deputy Interior Minister Fouad Ali Himma (a particularly
close confidant of King Mohammed VI),took the unprecedented
step of summoning senior business leaders from the tourism
and transportation sectors for a meeting to discuss the
threat environment, countermeasures, and the need for
vigilance. They called on the private sector leaders to
mobilize their workforces to be alert to unusual activity and
suspicious persons as they go about their duties,
particularly in ports, airports, railway stations, hotels and
other vital institutions.


9. (C) Comment: It is too early to say whether the new state
of alert will have any economic impact in areas like
Morocco's booming tourism sector. While the Minister himself
called for "extreme measures" and refered to a "maximum state
of alert," there are still a number of stops the GOM could
pull out if it became aware of a specific and imminent
threat. The Ministry of Interior's evolving and more open
approach to the public is indicative of the relative
sophistication of Benmoussa and other members of the new
generation of leaders in Morocco's security establishment,
compared to old-guard security figures like LaNigri. Such
openness and direct appeals for public cooperation and
support would have been unheard of in the era of Hassan II,
when the security establishment had a more uniformly
repressive character. That said, the transformation and
modernization of Morocco's security establishment is still
very much a work in progress and is still beset by
limitations of capacity and resources, and the persistence of
old mindsets in the middle and lower tiers. End comment.




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RILEY