Five bomb explosions tore through Morocco's coastal city of Casablanca late Friday, killing at least 24 people and injuring about 60 others.
17/05/2003 12:24 VOA
Moroccan officials say the nearly simultaneous blasts damaged a Jewish community center, the Belgian consulate and a Spanish restaurant. They say most of the victims were Moroccan and many were inside the restaurant. Three of the explosions were car bombs.
Two policemen and a security guard are among the dead near a Spanish cultural center where body parts were said to litter the ground. The Belgian consulate was also heavily damaged.
There is no word on who carried out the attacks, or their motives. But Morocco Interior Minister Mustapha Sahel linked the bombings to international terrorist groups. Mr. Sahel said 10 suicide bombers were among those killed. Three people have been arrested in connection with the attacks.
The blasts came just hours after U.S. and British intelligence officials warned about increasing signs that the al-Qaida terrorist network may soon launch new attacks.
The officials said there has been a wave of electronically intercepted "chatter" (communications) among suspected terrorists that points to possible attacks in the Mideast, East Africa and Asia.
The officials say the "chatter" may be even more definitive than it was before Monday's car bombings in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, that killed 34 people.
Describing the urgency of the situation, one official said, "in some cases, the bullets have already left the gun."
The officials say targets could be places frequented by Americans and other Westerners such as housing complexes, businesses and public transportation sites.
Some information for this report provided by AFP and Reuters.
17/05/2003 12:24
