Militants held in suicide bombing investigation

Investigators raided Islamic militant strongholds across Morocco today in search of suspects linked to the suicide bombings in Casablanca that killed at least 28 people.

Agents have detained “several dozen” militants in Casablanca, Fez and Tangiers on suspicion at least two Moroccan Islamic groups were behind the deadly blasts, officials said.

“The judicial police ... as in any democratic country struck by blind terrorism, are continuing their operations against the networks that are already known by our services,” a security official said.

In addition to the 28 victims, the bombs on Friday night also killed 13 of the attackers and tore through a Spanish restaurant, the Belgian consulate, a Jewish community centre and cemetery and a hotel.

Officials said they could not give a precise figure on the detentions, which began yesterday, since the number was constantly in flux and the raids were being conducted in several cities.

The raids continued as the families of survivors buried their dead and shook in anger at the attacks. The bombings were a blow to Morocco, which had largely escaped terrorist violence.

“This is the same thing as the Twin Towers in the United States,” said Ahmed Chakir, a Casablanca taxi driver. “The Americans didn’t think that it could happen, and neither did we.”

Police, who set up checkpoints on roads into Casablanca, were trying to determine if the attackers were linked to a known extremist group Salafia Jihadia, which is accused of ties to al Qaida. Another Moroccan group suspected is the Attakfir wal Hijra.

The city remained in shock today. There was a heavy military presence in the bombed areas, with green-uniformed riot police patrolling the streets.

At the city morgue workers nailed together coffins and put some of the dead in an ambulance to transport them to cemeteries. A group of about 100 people, some of them crying, looked on.

The nation’s newspapers expressed outrage at the attacks. Le Journal had the headline “The Horror” in bold letters on its front pagemany of the papers featured graphic photographs of the ravaged bodies of victims.

Salafia Jihadia has been the object of police sweeps for months. About 100 people found to have ties with the homegrown group were in custody as recently as March, including a suspected leader known for fiery sermons and anti-Western views.

The attacks, which came just four days after similar terror attacks on Western targets in the Saudi capital of Riyadh that killed 34 people, appeared to target mainly Jewish and Spanish interests. Spain was a leading US ally in the war on Iraq.

Up to 4,000 Jews live in Morocco, and the kingdom is proud of the harmony that marks relations between its Jewish minority and Muslims.

The deadliest bombing ripped through the Casa de Espana social club as clients were playing bingo or dining. Some 20 people were killed, including a guard whose throat was slit, said the club president.

Without directly implicating al Qaida, the Moroccan government laid the blame on international terrorism.

Islamic fundamentalists are well installed in Morocco, especially active at universities and in the grinding poverty of cities like Casablanca – Morocco’s largest.

Militants were kept in check for decades in a careful balancing act by the late King Hassan II, who ruled for 38 years. Monarchs here bear the highly respected title of “commander of the faithful”.

However, militants have grown bolder as King Mohammed VI, who took the throne in 1999, presses ahead with efforts to modernise and moves to democratise.

In April, the kingdom put off municipal elections over fears that fundamentalists could gain ground. In September legislative voting, the Islamic moderate Justice and Development Party tripled its seats to 42 in the 325 parliamentary chamber.

Moroccan security services suspect around 300 Moroccans spent time in al Qaida training camps in Afghanistan. In an audiotape released in February, Osama bin Laden himself described Morocco as one of several US allies “ready for liberation”.