CAIRO Ñ Morocco has launched a crackdown on suspected Islamic
insurgents linked to Al Qaida.
Officials said Moroccan authorities have arrested hundreds of people
suspected of being members of extremist groups. They said the groups are
believed to have targeted those who don't follow Islamic tenets.
So far, Moroccan newspapers report that about 400 people have been
detained in the crackdown. They are said to include those who were trained
by Al Qaida and Taliban in Afghanistan.
The major targets of Moroccan authorities are the Al Sirat Al Mustaqdim
and the Al Takfir Wal-Hijra groups. The two organizations are said to have
abducted up to 150 secular Muslims and sentenced them to death. So far,
eight
people were identified as having been executed by the two groups.
Moroccan security sources said the two groups, who are said to engage in
close cooperation, entered Moroccan nightclubs dressed as secular Muslims.
They would then identify their targets.
On Monday, the London-based Al Hayat daily reported that Moroccan
authorities have obtained confessions from the Islamic insurgents that they
were responsible for killing eight people and staging 115 attacks. The
insurgents were also said to have told interrogators that the groups carried
out 116 thefts and robberies.
Al Takfir leader Yusef Fikri, in Moroccan detention, has threatened that
his group will increase attacks against the regime and its supporters.
Moroccan newspapers said Fikri has demanded the release of an unspecified
colleague and senior Islamic insurgent, believed to be the spiritual leader
of Al Takfir, Bin Dawood.
The North African kingdom reported the capture of Al Qaida
cells in May that were said to have planned to launch suicide bombings and
attacks on NATO ships in the western Mediterranean. Many members of the
Islamic opposition, including mosque preachers, have expressed their support
for Al Qaida.
