Marokkoanske myndigheter sier de har arrestert 32 medlemmer av et terrornettverk som planla å drepe statsråder og marokkanske jøder. Den skal ha gjennomført ran på pengetransporter i Europa, og hadde medlemmer fra universitet og politi. Korrespondenten for Hizbollahs TV-stasjon Al-Manar var blant de impliserte.

Flere arresterte var medlemmer av et islamistparti, Al Badil Al Hadari, som følelig også ble forbudt. Gruppen skaffet seg penger ved ran, heleri og bidrag fra medlemmene.

One suspected member of the group, with help from criminals in Europe, carried out a heist of an armored truck in Luxembourg in 2000, netting the group $25.65 million, it said.

Gold jewelry stolen in Belgium was melted down by a goldsmith who belonged to the network and then sold, the ministry statement said.

The group had plotted to assassinate Cabinet ministers, army officers and members of the Jewish community, the ministry said. Only a few thousand Jews still live in the Muslim kingdom, as many have emigrated to Israel and elsewhere.

Among those arrested was the group’s suspected leader, Abdelkader Belliraj, who Interior Minister Chakib Benoussa said had links with al-Qaida and local terror groups.

Also arrested in the sweeps were political leader Mostafa Lmouatassime; Abdelhafid Sriti, a correspondent for the Hezbollah militant group’s Al-Manar television; and a university professor and a police superintendent, the MAP agency reported.

Morocco: Terrorist network dismantled