Morocco’s 21st century day of terror is remembered every May 16. It is 10 years since Casablanca was rocked by five explosions in twenty minutes. They killed 45 people and injured over 100, the country’s worst-ever terrorist attack.
Several NGOs got together in the city on Thursday to call for peace and unity to counter extremist ideologies.
“We are still living in this painful life; we ask all Muslims in Morocco to become a model for Arab and Muslim world and to not participate
in terrorism,” said victim Mohammed Karam.
In Rabat the 10th anniversary was marked by Salafists who say that ever since the bombings they have been persecuted and imprisoned.
“We have organised this sit-in to demand the truth about the explosions of 16 May 2003 in Casablanca. Ten years later we still do not know the real cause of these explosions. These events have caused thousands of casualties among Islamists who have been tortured and imprisoned, and all without us really knowing who was behind the attacks,” said coordinator Anas el Halaoui.
The attacks were on Western or Jewish targets; the first carried out in Morocco by Moroccans. Six European lives were lost in total, and the country was shocked by the indiscriminate carnage of the suicide bombers.
