By DPA
Rabat : The Moroccan government Wednesday announced that it was dissolving a Islamist party over its links with terrorism.
There was strong evidence that leaders of al-Badil al-Hadari (Civilisational Alternative) had connections with an extremist network dismantled this week, the government said in a communiqué.
Mohammed Moatassim, secretary general of the party which is not represented in parliament, was arrested Monday along with 22 other people.
The detainees also included the leader of another Islamist party, which had not been officially registered.
A leading member of the Islamist party Justice and Development (PJD), the second largest in parliament, and a correspondent of a Hezbollah television channel were then held Tuesday.
A total of 32 people have now been detained, including the suspected leader of an extremist cell accused of planning attacks in Morocco.
Police carried out house searches in Casablanca and Nador, seizing Kalashnikov rifles, sub-machine guns, pistols and explosives, the interior ministry said.
The network was believed to have been financed by criminals who netted 17.5 million euros ($26 million) from the robbery of a money transport company in Luxembourg in 2000.
The money was laundered by investing it in tourism, real estate and other projects in Morocco, the ministry said.
Morocco has detained hundreds of extremist suspects since suicide bombings claimed 45 lives in Casablanca in 2003.