Morocco’s Ministry of Interior is calling on landlords of furnished apartments and houses to declare the identity of their tenants to authorities.

The ministry issued a communiqué on Sunday, saying that from now on “landlords are required to declare about their renters,” noting that this “measure is imperative.”

The ministry noted, “Anyone who does not comply with this order, might expose them to judicial accountability and might be considered as potential accomplices of the perpetrators.”

This decision follows the country’s efforts to secure safety and stability, according to the ministry. “Such these methods [i.e not declaring the identity of the tenants] directly affects the security of the country.”

“Following the dismantling of terrorist cells and criminal gangs, it appeared that these members rented houses but the owners failed to notify the authorities about their identities,” the ministry said.

On Friday, Morocco’s Central Bureau of Judicial Investigation (BCIJ) has dismantled a terrorist cell linked to the so-called Islamic States (IS) in El Jadida.

The cell was in possession of firearms, including a submachine gun provided by infrared lenses, seven pistols, massive munitions, four large-sized knives, and two wireless devices, in addition to military trousers, stick handlers and suspicious chemical materials used in the manufacture of explosives.

Head of the BCIJ, Abdelhak El Khiyame, has announced that his agency has managed to thwart 341 terrorist attacks over the past 14 years, noting that since 2002, the BCIJ has dismantled 167 cells, including 46 belonging to ISIS, in addition, 2963 suspected terrorists were arrested and referred to the judiciary courts, 277 of whom already had criminal records.

Source :Morocco World News