Demo at Morocco blast site as Qaeda group denies role

A man holds a Moroccan flag and a portrait of King Mohamed VI as several hundred people attend a demonstration in Marrakesh yesterday at the site of the April 28 bombing in which 17 people were killed.

Hundreds gathered to denounce terrorism at the site of a deadly bomb attack in Marrakesh yesterday as Al Qaeda’s regional offshoot denied any involvement in the atrocity.
Moroccans joined with foreigners based in the city and tourists outside the cafe in Djemaa El Fna Square where the April 28 blast killed 17 people, mainly visitors.
A group known as the February 20 Movement, which is calling for political reform in Morocco, is meanwhile planning to hold a peaceful demonstration at the square today.
The action came as Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) denied all responsibility for the attack in a statement put out by a Mauritanian news agency.
“We deny any link to this explosion and declare we are in no way involved in this operation,” said the Friday-dated statement in Arabic carried by the Nouakchott News Agency (ANI).
In the message, AQIM urged Moroccans not to be distracted by the bombing and the charges levelled against the group, and to revolt against their government.
Moroccan authorities had pointed the finger at AQIM following the blast at the Argana cafe in the southern city which attracts thousands of tourists.
Organisers of yesterday’s gathering dubbed the event “an orange juice against terrorism” in reference to reports that the bomber ordered the drink before detonating his explosives.
“The idea of the gathering is to drink an orange juice at Djemaa El Fna square in a sign of rejecting terrorism,” one of the group said.
“I’m here to express my emotion and my anger about what has happened. We love Morocco, we love Marrakesh, and we will say it loud and clear,” said a Marrakesh businessman who has lived in the city for more than five years.
The Moroccan minister for tourism and the French consul general in Marrakesh were among the officials at the gathering.
The city is home to around 20,000 French people, while eight of the 17 dead were French.
“To be in front of the Argana is moving and sad. I’m here to say no to terrorism,” a Swiss tourist from Zurich said.
“Democracy and social justice are the best shield against terrorism and violence in all its forms,” Mahjoub Bisnas, a member of the group said.
Moroccan authorities arrested three people on Thursday, including the suspected mastermind of the bombing.
Interior Minister Taieb Cherkaoui said on Friday the main suspect, whose identity has not been revealed, plotted the attack at his parents’ home in Safi, 300km south of Casablanca.