Police raids in Casablanca led to the arrests of 33 Islamists today in connection with the suicide attacks that killed at least 31 bystanders, and wounded 100, in Morocco’s coastal city, according to Reuters.
A senior government source said individuals linked to a radical Islamist group with ties to al-Qaida, Djihad Salafist, were among those being held in connection with near-simultaneous blasts targeting a Jewish community center, the Belgian consulate, a hotel, and Spanish restaurant, according to Reuters.
State-run television reported police had already identified the bodies of seven of the 14-strong cell believed to have carried out the attacks. Thirteen died and one was critically ill in custody.
It was not clear how many bombs were used, but U.S. officials told NBC News they believe it was four or five bombs, with at least one car bomb.
No Americans were reported injured and U.S. State Department spokeswoman Joanne Moore said, “No U.S. government facility was targeted.”
Belgian workers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia were being warned about an unspecific terror threat just hours before the Moroccan bombings. It was accurate, but in the wrong country, reports CBS News.
At least six Europeans – two Spaniards, two Italians and two French – were killed, said the chief of medical services at the Azerroes Hospital, according to Fox News.
The buildings targeted Friday were the Casa de Espana, a Jewish community center called the Israelite Community Circle, an old Jewish cemetery, and the Belgian Consulate. Explosions also hit the Hotel Safir, located in the old heart of the city center.
According to Agence-France Presse, most of the casualties occurred at the Jewish community center.
Witnesses said the assailants carried out the carnage with precision. Three entered the retaurant in the Casa de Espana social club after slitting the security guard’s throat with a knife, an employee told Spanish National Radio.
The owner of the social club told The Associated Press one bomber then blew himself up under a tent where clients, including several Spaniards, were seated.
Security officials said charred cars could be seen outside the sites. The attacks reportedly began at about 9:20 p.m. local time.
Though no one has taken responsibility for the attacks, al-Qaida is suspected. The bombings come on the heels of a U.S. warning about possible al-Qaida hits following the terrorist assault on a Western housing complex in Saudi Arabia earlier this week.
