2003 Casablanca bombings
The 2003 Casablanca bombings, commonly known as May 16 (Arabic: 16 ماي, French: 16 mai), were a series of coordinated suicide bombings on May 16, 2003, in Casablanca, Morocco. That night, twelve suicide bombers loyal to Salafia Jihadia organization detonated a bombs hidden in their backpacks in the Casa de España restaurant, the Hotel Farah, the Jewish Alliance of Casablanca, and sites near the Belgian consulate and an old Jewish cemetery. The attacks were the deadliest terrorist attacks in the country's history, claiming the lives of forty-five people (33 victims and 12 suicide bombers) and injuring at least 100. Despite their deliberate targeting of Jews, none of the victims were Jews as the attack occurred during Shabbat.
2003 Casablanca bombings | |
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Part of the Insurgency in the Maghreb (2002–present) | |
Commemorative stele at Mohammed V Square in memory of the victims of the attack | |
Locations of the attacks—points denote suicide bombings | |
Location | Casablanca, Morocco |
Date | 16 May 2003 21:45 – 22:15 (UTC+1) |
Target | Moroccan Jews and European tourists, particularly:
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Attack type | Suicide attack |
Weapons | Propane bombs in backpacks |
Deaths | 45 (including 11 attackers) |
Injured | ≈ 100 |
Perpetrators | Salafia Jihadia |
No. of participants | 15 |
Defender | Mostafa Tahiri |
Motive | Islamic extremism, Antisemitism, Anti-Western sentiment |
Accused | 2,112 indicted |
Convicted | 903 convicted |
Verdict | 13 sentenced to death |
Litigation | Arrest warrants issued for 50 Moroccans and 12 foreign citizens |
Out of the initial commando of fifteen, three abandoned their plans on the spot and were later arrested. The attacks came in a rise in radical preachers critical of the Moroccan government, which they had viewed as infidels, many of the preachers were veterans of the Soviet-Afghan war.
The interrogation of the surviving suicide bombers led to the terrorist cell's ringleader, Abdelhak Bentassir, who had demanded that members of the cell make an oath of allegiance towards him after following a radical preacher. Bentassir later died in police custody in unclear circumstances. Authorities led a judicial purge of Islamists in the country, with indictments filled against 2,112 extremists leading to 903 convictions and 12 death sentences.
In the immediate aftermath of the attacks, a tough counter-terrorism bill was signed which was compared to the Patriot Act.
The attacks shined light on the state of shantytowns in the country, with a government initiative fighting against slums being announced the next year. The slums of Sidi Moumen were fully demolished after a series of attacks in 2007.