JayAtl
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RABAT, Morocco A massive terrorist bombing ripped through a cafe popular among tourists in the heart of the Moroccan city of Marrakech on Thursday, killing 14 people including foreigners and wounding 20, the government spokesman said.
The blast in the iconic Djemma el-Fna square was Morocco's deadliest attack in eight years.
Government spokesman Khalid Naciri said it was too soon to say who was behind what he called a terrorist attack, although, he noted, Morocco regularly dismantles cells linked to al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb.
Naciri said that he "cannot be specific until investigators have drawn conclusions."
The explosion just before noon tore the facade off the two-story terracotta-colored Argana cafe, leaving awnings dangling. Panicked passersby dragged away bodies and tried to put out flames with fire extinguishers, witnesses told The Associated Press.
The square, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is a focal point for the hordes of western tourists who visit the central city of Marrakech seeking a taste of the exotic in this Muslim kingdom on the Atlantic Ocean. The square is known for its snake charmers, fire breathers and old town, or medina.
Moroccans and foreigners of different nationalities were among the victims of the blast and authorities were trying to identify them, Naciri said.
At least two French nationals were among the casualties, although it was not immediately clear whether they were dead or wounded, judicial officials in the French capital said. President Nicolas Sarkozy confirmed that French were among the victims.
France is former colonial ruler of this Muslim kingdom and French regularly flock to Morocco. Marrakech itself is a magnet for tourists, and the attack came at the start of the tourist season.
The blast in the iconic Djemma el-Fna square was Morocco's deadliest attack in eight years.
Government spokesman Khalid Naciri said it was too soon to say who was behind what he called a terrorist attack, although, he noted, Morocco regularly dismantles cells linked to al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb.
Naciri said that he "cannot be specific until investigators have drawn conclusions."
The explosion just before noon tore the facade off the two-story terracotta-colored Argana cafe, leaving awnings dangling. Panicked passersby dragged away bodies and tried to put out flames with fire extinguishers, witnesses told The Associated Press.
The square, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is a focal point for the hordes of western tourists who visit the central city of Marrakech seeking a taste of the exotic in this Muslim kingdom on the Atlantic Ocean. The square is known for its snake charmers, fire breathers and old town, or medina.
Moroccans and foreigners of different nationalities were among the victims of the blast and authorities were trying to identify them, Naciri said.
At least two French nationals were among the casualties, although it was not immediately clear whether they were dead or wounded, judicial officials in the French capital said. President Nicolas Sarkozy confirmed that French were among the victims.
France is former colonial ruler of this Muslim kingdom and French regularly flock to Morocco. Marrakech itself is a magnet for tourists, and the attack came at the start of the tourist season.
