RABAT, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- Morocco's interior ministry said Thursday a terror suspect recently arrested was preparing a suicide attack in the country, local media reported.
The suspect, an engineering student with suspected ties to the Islamic State (IS), was arrested in the city of Tiflet, 30 km east of the capital Rabat.
Investigators found that the suspect was preparing a chemical mixture to make an explosive belt for a suicide attack against a sensitive area in Morocco, daily Le Matin said, quoting an interior ministry statement.
Flammable material used to trigger bombs and an electric device required in making bombs were recovered during the suspect's arrest, the statement said.
Morocco is facing a growing IS threat.
Authorities said over 160 terrorist cells have been busted since 2002, including over 40 in the past three years, who had ties to extremists groups in both Iraq and Syria.