Morocco smashes terror network

RABAT (AFP) - Morocco said Saturday it had broken up a "terrorist network" active in several cities in the country and that had links to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).

The network is "led by a leading figure of Mujahideen of Morocco", a little known group with ties to international terror groups, the ministry said.

The group's head was the subject of several national and international arrest warrants for his involvement in affairs linked to terrorism and serious threats to the kingdom, it added.

The movement is "well organised, very dangerous and linked to contacts in other countries in the region," a security source told AFP referring to the countries in northern Africa's Sahel, AQIM's desert stomping ground.

"The head of the network holds close ties with international terrorist groups and succeeded in smuggling weapons into Morocco... with the aim of carrying out attacks," the source said.

The interior ministry did not say how many members of the network were being held or their nationality.