Casablanca Attacks
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The Casablanca Attacks were a series of suicide bombings on May 16, 2003, in Casablanca, Morocco that were the deadliest terrorist attacks in that country’s history. The attacks occurred five days after Western compounds in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia were bombed, killing 26 people.
On May 16, 14 members of the North African terrorist group Salafia Jihadia prepared for the bombings. They planned to hit Western and Jewish targets in the bustling tourist city of Casablanca. They apparently had been inspired to carry out their attacks sooner than expected after 3 Western compounds were bombed in Saudi Arabia on May 12.
The 14 bombers, most between 20 and 24 years old, struck at night on the 16th. Wearing grenades and explosives, several of the bombers knifed a guard at the Cafe de Espana restaurant, a Spanish-owned eatery in the city. They blew themselves up inside the building, killing 20 people, many of them dining and playing bingo. It was the deadliest of the bombings.
The five-star Hotel Farah was bombed next, killing a guard and a porter. Another bomber killed 3 Muslims as he attempted to bomb a Jewish cemetery. He was 150 yards away from the cemetery and likely lost, so he blew up by a fountain. Two bombers attacked a Jewish community center, killing no one because the building was closed and empty. It would have been packed the next day.
Another bomber attacked a Jewish-owned Italian restaurant, and another blew up near the Belgian consulate, killing 2 police officers. It was likely they were aiming at a different target.
In all, 12 bombers died, along with 33 civilians. Two bombers were arrested before they could carry out attacks. More than 100 people were injured. Eight of the dead were Europeans and the rest were Moroccan, angering many Muslims.
The motive behind the bombings was probably the fact that Morocco had a history of good relationship with Jews, and another motive was the US Invasion of Iraq.
World leaders condemned the attacks, coming on the heels of the Riyadh bombings. Mohammed VI, the King of Morocco, toured the bombing sites and was cheered by crowds of people. Moroccan authorities arrested dozens of people in connection with the attacks, and began to put them on trial. Salafia Jihadia, an al-Qaeda-linked group, is suspected of sending out the bombers. It is believed Ansar al-Islam leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi ordered the bombings in retribution for the invasion of Iraq.
It is interesting to note that inept planning and mistakes by the bombers probably saved dozens of lives.
On March 19, 2004, Belgian police arrested a suspect wanted by the Moroccan government in connection with the bombings.