Morocco court sentences cafe bomber to death

Morocco court sentences cafe bomber to death

2011-10-29 21:54:07 GMT+7 (ICT)

RABAT (BNO NEWS) -- A Moroccan court on Friday sentenced to death the alleged mastermind of a terrorist attack on a cafe in Marrakech last April, the official news agency Maghreb Arabe Presse (MAP) reported on Saturday.

Adil Othmani was held responsible for an explosion which tore through the cafe on April 28, killing 17 people and wounding 20 others. The blast targeted the Cafe Argana on Jamaa Lafna square, a bazaar and square popular among tourists in Marrakech.

Moroccan authorities said the bomber remotely triggered two explosives, which he had placed there while disguised as a 'Western hippie'. The government initially said that Othmani swore allegiance to al-Qaeda, but the group denied involvement in the attack.

A Moroccan Ministry of Justice official who refused to be identified confirmed that a death sentence has been handed down to the main suspect, CNN reported. The court also sentenced another man, Hakim Dah, to life in prison. Seven others were given prison sentences of between three and four years.

Prime Minister Abbas El Fassi last year described the terror attack as 'savage' and 'barbaric'. The international community also condemned the attack, with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon saying that no political objective can justify such an act.

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