A Moroccan court found Friday 18 defendants guilty of joining an extremist group and of conspiring to commit terrorist attacks, including a former officer of the Spanish army. The defendants were apprehended in January at six different Moroccan cities and the court sentenced them Friday to verdicts stretching from three to 10 years in prison. One of the defendants has a Moroccan-Spanish citizenship and was an officer in the Spanish army, before leaving to join Al-Qaeda at Afghanistan, has been sentenced to spend eight years in prison. Morocco frequently declares the apprehending extremist cells that aim to recruit people to join Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS). Approximately 1,200 people have been recruited to join extremist groups, mainly in Syria and Iraq. The government has voiced its fear regarding their possible return to home and commit terrorist attacks.
