Police probe al-Qaida link in Casablanca bombings

POLICE investigating a string of suicide bombings that killed 28 bystanders in downtown Casablanca are focusing on a homegrown Islamic militant group with suspected ties to the al-Qaida terror network.

Investigators were rounding up suspected Islamic militants for questioning about Friday's five near-simultaneous attacks, an Interior Ministry official said on condition of anonymity. It was too early however to describe them as arrests, the official said.

The official said police were trying to determine what role if any was played by the group Salafia Jihadia, which is believed to be tied to al-Qaida. The official would not say how many people were being questioned.