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Footage from the aftermath of a terrorist attack at a cafe in Marrakech, Morocco, that killed 15 people. |
Fifteen people, including 10 foreigners, were killed in a bombing at a cafe frequented by tourists in the city of Marrakech in Morocco earlier today. The attack is thought to have been carried out by Islamic terrorist groups based in the North African country.
The blast took place at the Argana cafe in the Jamaa el Fnaa square in central Marrakech, a crowded part of the city where foreigners are known to congregate. Six Frenchmen and four other foreigners, along with five Moroccans, were reported to have been killed in the blast. Seven foreigners were among the more than 20 people wounded.
Two witnesses told Reuters that the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber; the nature of the attack has not been confirmed, however. One witness inside the cafe who survived told Al Arabiya that “an individual entered, ordered an orange juice and a few minutes later blew himself up.” Another witness claimed that a man left a suitcase bomb at the cafe, which was detonated.
Moroccan officials said an “analysis of the early evidence collected at the site of the blast that occurred on Thursday at a cafe in Marrakesh confirms the theory of an attack,” Reuters reported. Police said nails, which are often used in suicide bombs, were found lodged in the body of a victim.
Today’s terrorist attack is the worst in the country since the May 16, 2003 suicide bombings in Casablanca that killed 33 people. In those attacks, a total of 12 suicide bombers detonated vests at several locations: the Israeli Alliance Club, a Jewish cemetery, the Spanish club, the Belgian consulate, and a five-star hotel frequented by foreigners.
In 2007, Islamic terrorists also carried out three failed suicide attacks in Casablanca: the first on March 14, the next on April 10, and third the following day. On March 14, a suicide bomber detonated his vest after a dispute with the owner of an Internet caf
