Morocco Probes Deadly Bomb Blast In A Marrakesh Cafe

Morocco has launched an investigation into a bomb attack on a cafe in Marrakesh that left 14 people dead including 11 foreigners. More than 20 others were wounded, some seriously, when the blast ripped through the Argana cafe in Djemaa el-Fna square, a popular tourist spot. Nationalities of the foreign victims have not been confirmed, but medical sources say at least six are French. A Marrakesh official said a suicide bomber could have caused the blast. No group has so far said it carried out the attack. The UK Foreign Office is investigating reports one of the victims was British. Some earlier reports had put the death toll at 15. The last serious attack in Morocco was in Casablanca in 2003, when 45 people - including suicide bombers - were killed. French President Nicolas Sarkozy branded the attack "heinous, cruel and cowardly", his office sad. Mr Sarkozy spoke by telephone to King Mohammed IV, who ordered a "speedy and transparent inquiry" when he chaired a council of ministers at the royal palace in Fes. Moroccan Interior Minister Taib Cherkaoui would not confirm reports of a suicide bombing but added: "I can assure you that we continue to fight terrorism with all legal means. The criminals implicated in this act will be brought to justice." Moroccan Communications Minister Khalid Naciri told AFP news agency "this was a terrorist act" and that the country would react "with diligence". "Morocco is confronted by the same threats as in May 2003," he said. Police said checkpoints had been set up at the entrances to Morocco's main cities. French intelligence and counter-terrorism experts are to travel to the former French colony on Friday, officials in Paris said. Witnesses described hearing a huge explosion just before noon on Thursday that sent debris flying into the square. "A woman was blown into the air and I saw a man completely disfigured," a student told French news agency AFP. "Then I saw a girl 14 or 15 years of age, she was also disfigured. The three were foreigners," he said. Reforms pledged Much of the facade from the two-storey cafe was blown away and passersby dragged bodies from the rubble and tried to put out flames with fire extinguishers, witnesses said. Morocco has remained relatively peaceful amid recent unrest in north Africa and the Arab world, but the king has pledged constitutional reforms following several largely peaceful protests over the past two months. The UK Foreign Office said consular staff had been sent to offer assistance to any British nationals. It said it was also aware of reports in French newspaper Le Figaro that one of the dead was British but could not verify the information. Djemaa el-Fna square is a Unesco World Heritage site and is popular with foreign tourists, particularly Europeans.

Source: BBC/Africa