By William Tucker
A terrorist attack struck the popular Argana cafe in Djemaa el-Fna square of Marrakesh, Morocco killing 15 and injuring a further 20. Authorities first believed that the explosion was caused by a faulty gas canister, but the government has now stated that it was indeed a terrorist attack. The Moroccan government hasn’t officially released any information on the type of explosive used in the attack, nor have they accused any known terrorist group. Information available in the press thus far has indicated that one of the victims had a large amount of nails in their body indicating that the explosive device was packed with shrapnel to increase the causality count. Eyewitnesses quoted by the media have offered contradicting reports with some claiming the explosion was caused by a suicide bomber, while others claim a man dropped off a briefcase then fled the scene.
Low level terrorist bombings have occurred in Morocco, but the last major attack occurred in 2003. This most recent attack takes place against the backdrop of large scale social unrest in much the same fashion as the rest of the Arab world. The most recent protests took place this week with tens of thousands taking to the streets in Casablanca and Rabat. Although tourists were the main target of today’s attack the impact to the local economy will make an already bad situation worse. Public perception will be important to watch as the government is likely to crack down on suspected militants and protesters alike as it struggles to maintain order. As of this writing no known terrorist group has taken responsibility, although both AQIM and the Moroccan Islamic Fighting Group are capable of carrying out this type of attack. It is still too early to tell if this is indicative of a new wave of terrorism aimed at complicating the issues faced by the Moroccan government or just an opportunistic attack on visiting foreigners. The bombing was not all that sophisticated and it was aimed at a soft target making the capabilities of the perpetrators difficult to judge, but we’ll have to keep a close eye on Morocco in the near term.
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