Morocco busts IS-linked cell, arrests three suspects — Moroccan policemen stand guard in a closed street on June 8, 2020 after Moroccan authorities declared a total lockdown following the discovery of many Covid-19 cases in a fish canning factory in the southern port city of Safi. – Morocco reported Sunday 698 additional novel coronavirus infections, the highest one-day increase since the outbreak began in early March, with numerous cases discovered in the port city. (Photo by FADEL SENNA / AFP) (Photo by FADEL SENNA/AFP via Getty Images)

The Moroccan security services on Monday busted a cell linked to the Islamic State (IS) militant group and arrested three people.

The suspects, aged 26 to 28, were arrested in the cities of Inezgane and Ait Melloul, said a statement of the Central Bureau of Judicial Investigation, Morocco’s intelligence bureau.

Many materials were seized during this operation including large and medium-sized knives, electronic devices and extremist documents, the statement added.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the cell was planning “terrorist operations aimed at undermining the security and stability of the North African country,” it added.