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~14 dead in serious explosion in Marrakech
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It isn't clear yet whether this is an accidental gas bottle/water heater explosion, or something more sinister, but given that this is peak tourism time in Marrakech and Djemma el Fna is the top tourist spot, one has to suspect the worst.
That's an awful lot of people dead from a single exploding gas cylinder. These things aren't that big and they tend to break into largish pieces, not enough pieces of shrapnel to kill that many people. In the meantime, UK Foreign Office advice is for UK Nationals to KEEP AWAY from the square at the moment. BBC report: BBC News - Morocco: Blast rocks Marrakesh's Djemaa al-Fna square |
Portuguese media are also saying the blast was not accidental, it's a criminal hit.
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The Algerians say this is an act of terrorists. 11 tourists killed.
Maroc: explosion d'origine criminelle |
Just saw a friend's post in Facebook where he says he called some friends there near the blast and they maintain the gas bottles version...
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Thoughts to all involved and their families.....sad news, no matter what the cause.....does sound like a terrorist attack though.
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Argana at Djema El Fnaa?!
I was there last saturday night. It was the place for an anniversary dinner! Rui Portugal |
Horrible.
My thoughts are with the victims' families. |
Was there on tuesday and wednesday night for dinner, fantastic place. There but for the grace of god.
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There is now reports saying it was an attack possibly a suicide bomber and 2 french and 1 brit dead[not 100% confirmed]. ALong with several europeans and a canadian in hospital. The pictures do not look like a small gas cannister explosion thats one hell of a blast.
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They found nails in one of the bodies.
A man sat down and ordered an orange juice, and a few minutes later blew himself up. The owner of Argana was seriously injured. King Mohamed pardoned a number of prisoners including islamists a couple weeks ago. Maroc : Marrakech secouée par un attentat - Monde - El Watan |
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Best analysis is from The View from Fez weblog.
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My thoughts go out not just to the bereaved, but also to all those who will suffer through the lack of income from tourism.
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Blogger analysis
Who bombed Marrakesh? |
Must admit rather strange no one has come forward taking out several western people is something that they would normally be jumping up and down about.
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Suspected bombers arrested
From moroccoboard.com: Three Moroccans were arrested, including the suspected main perpetrator of the April 28 attack at the café of Argana in Marrakech, Morocco's Interior Ministry said Thursday in a statement. The statement said that following the terrorist act in Marrakech, leaving 16 dead and 21 wounded, the police carried out investigations, which have enabled security services to arrest three suspects, including the person whos suspected to be the main perpetrator of this terrorist act. The main perpetrator, imbued with the jihadist ideology and who supposedly swore allegiance to al Qaeda, had already made several attempts to reach war zones like Chechnya and Iraq before deciding to carry out a terrorist act inside Morocco, the Interior Ministry added. After learning how to make explosives in the Internet, the statement pointed out, he has developed two remote controlled explosive devices that he brought to Marrakech. He entered disguising as a tourist at the café of Argana, a site visited by several Moroccan and foreign tourists, the same source said. The preliminary investigations undertaken by the security services have uncovered the remains of explosives and some tools that were rid of after committing the terrorist act, it underlined. The suspects will be brought to justice after the completion of the ongoing investigation, under the supervision of the competent public prosecutor, the statement concluded." |
Good work by the Moroccan police
AFP: Marrakesh bomb suspect 'was expelled from Libya' |
and good work by Libya too...
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We were in that square about 2 weeks before the bomb blast, it's such a shame for this beautiful, friendly country, hope it doesn't put too many people off going.
Cheers. |
Lots of tourists and daily demonstrations against terrorism and violence on DJemaa el f'naa
I hear. Meanwhile, Aqim says it was not them: AQIM denies responsibility for fatal Marrakesh bombing - MOROCCO - FRANCE 24 |
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