Morocco on maximum security alert during Eid al-Adha celebrations

Morocco has put its security services on maximum security alert over terror threat during Eid al-Adha celebrations, local media reported on Saturday.

The annual festival is also known as the Feast of the Sacrifice, which marks the end of the spiritual peak of the annual pilgrimage or Hajj in Arabic, when pilgrims descend from the hill of Arafat to the nearby holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia. Eid al-Adha will take place on Monday in Morocco.

Citing security sources, Moroccan daily Al Ahdath Al Maghribia said that the raise of the alert to its highest level is motivated by the growing threats the country is facing from the Islamic State (IS) group.

The measures are also driven by the threat posed by the increasing numbers of Moroccans sympathizing with the group as evidenced by the rising number of terror cells busted in the past months, the source added.

According to the Moroccan interior ministry, over 160 terrorist cells have been dismantled since 2002, which had close ties with terrorist groups that are active in Iraq and Syria, including the IS. Endit