Fatal Bomb in Morocco Shows Signs of Al Qaeda

The bomb appeared to have all the hallmarks of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, Interior Minister Taieb Cherkaoui said, briefing the government in Rabat. “The manner reminds us of the style used generally by Al Qaeda,” he said. “And this leads us to think that there is a possibility of more dangers to come.”

But there was no claim of responsibility on Friday by Al Qaeda or any other group.

“This was not a suicide attack,” Mr. Cherkaoui said, adding that “it appears the bomb was set off remotely,” in remarks carried by the official news agency, MAP. He said the bomb contained ammonium nitrate. A Moroccan security official, asking for anonymity, said the bomb also contained triacetone triperoxide, or TATP, an explosive easily made and popular among bombers in the Middle East, including those from Al Qaeda.

The bombing is a serious blow to Morocco’s tourism industry, already hurt by the economic crisis and anxieties about popular protests that are stirring much of the Arab world. The site — a popular cafe facing the historic Djemma el Fna square — is a regular tourist stop, and the bombing appeared aimed at foreigners.

Fourteen of the 16 dead were foreigners, mostly French citizens, as well as two Canadians, a Briton and a Dutch tourist, officials said. There were 25 people wounded, 14 of whom remained in hospitals, Mr. Cherkaoui said.

Morocco’s king, Mohammed VI, has tried to respond to popular demands for more democracy by beginning constitutional reforms and releasing or commuting the sentences of 190 radical Islamic prisoners arrested after the last big terrorist bombing, in Casablanca in 2003, when 45 people died, including 12 suicide bombers.

On May 1, protesters plan another rally in Moroccan cities to demand a faster transition to a constitutional monarchy, the third such protest since Feb. 20.

Mohamed Darif, a political scientist at King Hassan University in Casablanca, said, “The finger is pointed at Al Qaeda,” and suggested that Al Qaeda in the Islamic Mahgreb had singled out a cafe popular with French tourists. The same group holds four French hostages and demands that for their return, France pull its troops out of Afghanistan.

“They would find no better spot than Marrakesh, which has become a French village, with a strong French presence,” Mr. Darif said.

But he suggested other possible culprits, including radical Islamists who want all their colleagues released from prison — nearly 2,000 or so are detained — and those who do not favor the king’s recent movement toward democratic reform.

Jean-Yves Moisseron, editor in chief of the France-based magazine Maghreb-Machrek, said the way the bombing was carried out pointed to Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, “since Marrakesh is a very touristy place with a bad reputation, a spot for prostitution and sexual tourism, with international jet-setters” who own houses in the old city.

“There is a very clear will to target tourists; otherwise they would have bombed 50 meters away,” he said, adding that the bombers had to get through significant police controls to hit the square, which is well protected. “They were surely well organized and significantly trained.”

Two of the dead were Michal Zekry, 29, an Israeli-Canadian who was pregnant, and her husband, Messod Wizman, 30, a Moroccan-Canadian. They had come from Shanghai to visit Mr. Wizman’s parents, who live in Casablanca, for Passover, and then took a trip to see Marrakesh.

“They were lovely together, married for three years and have a boy, 2,” said Mr. Wizman’s aunt. “She was pregnant. What happened was that they went to the hotel in Marrakesh, but their room was not ready, so they thought, ‘Why not have a coffee?’ and went to the Argana.” She paused, then said: “There are no words for that.” The couple had left their son with his grandparents.

Mr. Wizman, she said, grew up in Casablanca, studied in Paris and then went to Montreal, where he met his wife.

On Friday evening, the square was packed with people, but the coffee shops and restaurants normally filled with tourists were nearly empty.

Around the corner, the Mabrouka cinema was open, showing “Femmes en Miroirs,” about a young Moroccan photographer living in Paris who returns home to see her sick mother. Rashiq Moulay Alarbi, a literature student, said: “We are not afraid, we are going out. I want these people who did this to us to know that they have not succeeded.”

His friend Abdellah al-Khalaoui, a driver, expressed sorrow for the deaths and concern for the city. “We fear that the tourism will drop; it has already started,” he said. “Already the coffee shops in which people used to sit are empty.”

Nearby, a Spanish couple ate with friends at a small restaurant, undeterred. They were near the square on Thursday but did not hear the explosion. “We’re very sad for the people, but something like this could have happened in Barcelona or Paris as well,” said Manuel Sanroma, a mathematics professor at the University of Barcelona who was making his second visit to Marrakesh.

“We love the Arab world,” he said. “Terrorists can attack you anywhere.”

Souad Mekhennet reported from Marrakesh, and Steven Erlanger from Washington. Ma?a de la Baume contributed reporting from Paris.