MARRAKECH, MOROCCO - A bomb blast tore through a tourist cafe Thursday in the heart of Marrakech's old quarter, killing at least 11 foreigners and three Moroccans in the country's deadliest attack in eight years.
At least 23 people were wounded in the noontime blast in Djemma el-Fna square, one of the top attractions in a country that depends heavily on tourism, Interior Minister Taib Chergaoui said. Identities of the dead were not immediately released, though several were said to be French citizens.
Government spokesman Khalid Naciri said it was too soon to lay blame for what he called a terrorist attack, but he noted that Morocco regularly dismantles cells linked to Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb.
The explosion blew much of the facade off the two-story Argana cafe, leaving awnings dangling. Panicked passers-by dragged away bodies and tried to put out flames with fire extinguishers, witnesses said.
"There was a huge bang, and lots of smoke went up. There was debris raining down from the sky," honeymooner Andy Birnie, who lives in north London, said by phone. "Hundreds of people were running in panic."
Morocco, a former French colony, is ruled by King Mohamed, who has the final say in all policy.
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