Jihadists “planned to blow up foreign ships at the commercial capital Casablanca’s port and other Moroccan landmarks, including hotels in Marrakech and Agadir.” Rick’s Cafe Americain wouldn’t have lasted.
“Two suspected bombers killed in Casablanca: police,” by Lamine Ghanmi for Reuters, with thanks to David:
RABAT (Reuters) – A suspected suicide bomber blew himself up after police shot dead a second suspected suicide bomber overnight in a Casablanca slum, Moroccan police sources said on Tuesday.
Police cordoned off an area of Fida slum to try to track down a third suspected suicide bomber who escaped the police chase and was believed to be hiding on a roof, residents said.
“All residents have been evacuated as the authorities fear the suspected bomber may blow himself up on the roof on one of the homes,” a resident at the scene told Reuters by telephone.
Police have been looking for up to 12 suspected suicide bombers since March 11 when the alleged leader of a suicide squad detonated his explosives belt to stop police arresting him, the sources added.
Police sources said they believed the bombers had started to wear their belts at all times to stop security forces taking them alive.
They said police chased the two suspected bombers into Fida before shooting one of them dead, with the second bomber then detonating the belt he was wearing and killing himself.
They gave no more details, including any possible attack plan by the suspected bombers, but a resident said:
“The three suspected suicide bombers were at a house from which they fled when police closed in to arrest them.
“Police fired at one of the three people as they ran away. I saw the one hit by a bullet transformed into a fireball. He appeared to be blown up as he fled. It looked as if the bullet triggered the explosives belt to detonate.”
He said a second man then blew himself up.
Top security officials said last month that Islamist would-be bombers planned to blow up foreign ships at the commercial capital Casablanca’s port and other Moroccan landmarks, including hotels in Marrakech and Agadir.