Africa

Africa

Morocco cafe bomb suspect posed as a hippie

07 May 2011 00:45 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. The chief suspect in last week’s attack in Morocco’s top tourist destination disguised himself as a guitar-carrying hippie when he entered a cafe and planted two bombs, killing 16 people, an official source said on Friday, APA reports quoting â€œReutersâ€.
"The man was identified as Adel al-Othmani. He walked into the cafe wearing a wig and carrying a guitar and the two bags where he hid the explosive devices," the source told Reuters.
"He looked like a hippie.
"He ordered an orange juice before leaving the cafe and behind him the two bags. He used a mobile phone to detonate the bombs afterwards," added the source who spoke on condition of anonymity.
An Interior Ministry spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment.
On Thursday, the ministry announced the arrest of three Moroccans in connection with the April 28 attack in the bustling Jamaa el-Fna square. It said the chief suspect showed "loyalty" to al Qaeda.
The blasts killed 16 people, including eight French tourists, and was the deadliest such attack in Morocco since 12 suicide bombers killed 33 members of the public in coordinated attacks in Casablanca in 2003.
The Marrakesh attack adds to the challenges facing King Mohammed as he tries to prevent uprisings breaking out in Morocco similar to those elsewhere in the Arab world.
Morocco’s tourism industry looks likely to withstand the attack and will grow by 8 percent this year compared with 7 percent in 2010, Tourism Minister Yassir Znagui told Reuters. Tourism is the country’s biggest foreign exchange earner.
The kingdom is usually seen as a haven of stability in a volatile region, but it has faced demonstrations in recent weeks, joined by trade unions last weekend, demanding a change of government and greater democratic freedom.
The government has offered a public sector pay rise, reform of the constitution and greater independence for the judiciary.
Protesters have accused it of trying to use the bomb attack to raise fears of instability and dissuade people from taking to the streets.