2011 Marrakesh bombing

The 2011 Marrakesh bombing was a domestic terrorist bombing of the Argana Cafe in Jemaa el-Fnaa, Marrakesh, Morocco, on April 28, 2011. A lone terrorist, Adil El-Atmani, planted two homemade pressure cooker bombs hidden inside of a backpack at the cafe and detonated them at 11:50 a.m., killing 17 and injuring 25. Many of the dead were tourists, including a group of French students.

2011 Marrakesh bombing
Part of Insurgency in the Maghreb (2002–present)
Djemaa el Fna on the day after the bombing
LocationCafe Argana, Jemaa el-Fnaa, Marrakesh, Morocco
Coordinates31.6265°N 7.9889°W / 31.6265; -7.9889
Date28 April 2011
11:50 a.m. (UTC+1)
TargetForeign tourists in Morocco
Attack type
Domestic terrorism, bombing, mass murder
WeaponsTwo remote-detonated TATP pressure cooker nail bombs
Deaths17
Injured25
Perpetrators Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (alleged, denied involvement)
AssailantAdil El-Atmani
MotiveFrench intervention in the Middle East

El-Atmani, a 25 year-old shoe salesman, pledged allegiance to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, who denied involvement in the attack. He was arrested six days later after a SIM card registered under his name was found in what remained of the bomb. During questioning, he said that he learned bomb-making on the Internet. A letter to the French government found on his laptop ordered the withdrawal of French troops in the Middle East, threatening to "attack targets in the heart of France" if his order was not fulfilled within the twenty days following the attack.

Adil El-Atmani was sentenced to death for the attack by an anti-terrorism court in Salé. He is awaiting execution at Moul El Bergui central prison in Safi. He was put in solitary confinement in 2017 after attempting to kill his cellmate.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.