Four would-be suicide bombers were killed during a raid by security
forces in Casablanca. Officials said the raid on Tuesday took place in the
city's Fida district, and both Al Qaida operatives had been carrying
explosives.
Officials said the insurgents were carrying belts with four kilograms of
explosives. They said the Al Qaida operatives had been wearing these belts
at all times to prevent their capture. One of those killed was identified as
Rachidi Mohammed, a 37-year-old member of an insurgency cell that killed a
security officer in 2003.
"One of the two was hit by bullets and died from his injuries, while the
other blew himself up just as police officers were in the process of
arresting him," a Moroccan police statement said.
A third Al Qaida suspect later blew himself up on the roof of a
building. The official Moroccan news agency MAP reported that two police
officers and 17 civilians were injured in the explosion.
Moroccan sources said a fourth would-be suicide bomber was also killed
in Casablanca. They said the fourth operative fled a four-story apartment
building believed to have been a hideout for the insurgency cell.
The statement said the suspects were connected to a 30-member Al Qaida
network that sought to bomb strategic sites around the country. On March 11,
the leader of the network, comprised of Moroccans organized within the
kingdom, blew himself up in an Internet cafe in Casablanca.
At least 31 people have been detained since the March 11 explosion.
Officials said the Al Qaida network contained up to 12 would-be suicide
bombers.
