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{{Short description|Terrorist attack in Marrakesh}}{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2022}}

factoids

| date = 28 April 2011| time = 11:50 a.m.| timezone = UTC+1| type = Domestic terrorism, bombing, mass murder| fatalities = 17| injuries = 25| victim = AQMI_Flag_asymmetric.svg}} Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (alleged, denied involvement)| perp = | assailants = | susperps = | susperp = TATP pressure cooker bomb>pressure cooker nail bombs| assailant = Adil El-Atmani| numparts = | numpart = | dfens = | dfen = | motive = French intervention in the Middle East| footage = }}The 2011 Marrakesh bombing was a domestic terrorist bombing of the Argana Cafe in Jemaa el-Fnaa, Marrakesh, Morocco, on April 28, 2011.WEB, 2011-05-08, Alors qu’Al Qaïda menace de venger Ben Laden: Attentat de Marrakech : sur les traces d’éventuelles ramifications,albayane.press.ma/alors-qual-qaida-menace-de-venger-ben-laden-attentat-de-marrakechn-sur-les-traces-deventuelles-ramifications.html, 2022-11-29, ALBAYANE, fr-FR, 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.NEWS,www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13229938, Marrakesh blast: ‘It was a scene of carnage’, 28 April 2011, BBC News, NEWS, Jay, Martin, 9 May 2011, Pressure on Moroccan government spikes over bombing, CNN,edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/05/09/morocco.bombing.probe/, 2 August 2011, Many of the dead were tourists, including a group of French students.WEB, 2011-04-29, Morocco investigates deadly Marrakesh blast,www.france24.com/en/20110429-morocco-police-investigates-deadly-marrakesh-blast-terrorist-attack, 2022-02-18, France 24, en, WEB,english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/04/2011428112155783843.html, Deadly blast devastates Marrakesh cafe – Africa, Al Jazeera English, 28 April 2011, 2 August 2011, El-Atmani, a 25 year-old shoe salesman, pledged allegiance to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, who denied involvement in the attack.WEB, Oberlé, Thierry, 2011-05-06, L’incroyable histoire du terroriste de Marrakech,www.lefigaro.fr/international/2011/05/06/01003-20110506ARTFIG00667-l-incroyable-histoire-du-terroriste-de-marrakech.php, 2022-11-30, Le Figaro, fr, WEB, 2011-05-08, Attentat de Marrakech : Aqmi nie toute responsabilité,www.rfi.fr/fr/afrique/20110508-attentat-marrakech-aqmi-nie-toute-responsabilite, 2022-11-30, RFI, fr, He was arrested six days later after a SIM card registered under his name was found in what remained of the bomb.WEB, 2011-09-23, Le principal suspect de l’attentat de Marrakech revient sur ses aveux,www.rfi.fr/fr/afrique/20110923-maroc-proces-terrorisme-marrakech, 2022-11-30, RFI, fr, During questioning, he said that he learned bomb-making on the Internet.WEB, 2011-10-29, الحكم بإعدام عادل العثماني المتهم بتفجير مقهى أركانة في المغرب,elaph.com/Web/news/2011/10/692349.html, 2022-11-30, Elaph - إيلاف, ar, 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.WEB, ADDAM, Rida, Attentat de Marrakech : l’ordinateur d’Al Otmani a livré ses secrets : La France et les Français, cibles privilégiées des terroristes,www.libe.ma/Attentat-de-Marrakech-l-ordinateur-d-Al-Otmani-a-livre-ses-secrets-La-France-et-les-Francais-cibles-privilegiees-des_a19216.html, 2022-11-30, Libération, fr, Adil El-Atmani was sentenced to death for the attack by an anti-terrorism court in Salé.WEB, Miadi, Fadwa, 2011-10-30, Café Argana - La peine capitale de retour au Maroc,www.lecourrierdelatlas.com/no-data-cafe-argana-la-peine-capitale-de-retour-au-maroc-1096/, 2022-11-30, Le Courrier de l’Atlas, fr-FR, He is awaiting execution at Moul El Bergui central prison in Safi.WEB, 2017-03-21, عادل العثماني المتورط في تفجير مقهى “أركانة” يحاول قتل سجين داخل زنزانته أثناء نومه,www.cawalisse.com/59926.html, 2022-11-30, Cawalisse {{!, كواليس اليوم |language=ar}} He was put in solitary confinement in 2017 after attempting to kill his cellmate.

Casualties

Seventeen people were killed, of which fourteen died on the site, while three more succumbed to their injuries the next day. Twenty-five people were injured, four seriously, including Russian computer hacker Roman Seleznev, a portion of whose skull was blown off.WEB, Seattle, Associated Press in, 2015-10-08, Russian MP allegedly plotted with imprisoned son to escape US custody,www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/08/russia-mp-valery-seleznev-plotted-son-escape-us-custody, 2022-02-18, the Guardian, en, The casualties were eight French nationals, including a ten-year-old girl,Morocco bombing will not go unpunished: France (AFP) an Israeli-Canadian woman and her Moroccan husband,NEWS,www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2011/04/29/morocco-explosion-canadians.html, Pregnant Canadian, husband killed in Morocco blast, CBC, Canada, 29 April 2011, 2 August 2011, another Moroccan citizen,WEB,www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4062142,00.html, Israeli woman, husband killed in Morocco bombing, Ynetnews.com, 20 June 1995, 2 August 2011, a British man,WEB,www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/48448/moroccan-ambassador-writes-sorrow-over-peter-moss-death, Moroccan ambassador writes of ‘sorrow’ over Peter Moss death, Thejc.com, 2 August 2011, a Dutchman, two Swiss citizens, a Portuguese and a Canadian.NEWS, Laing, Aislinn,www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/morocco/8485666/Al-Qaeda-explosive-used-in-Marrakesh-bomb-investigators-reveal-as-family-mourns-slain-Briton.html, Al-Qaeda explosive used in Marrakesh bomb, investigators reveal, as family mourns slain Briton, The Daily Telegraph, UK, 30 April 2011, 2 August 2011, Among the injured, fourteen were hospitalised and four were repatriated to their country the next day, while others left the hospital after receiving the necessary care.WEB,info.rsi.ch/home/channels/informazione/info_on_line/2011/05/06--Anche-Cristina-tra-le-vittime-d, Cristina Caccia non-ce l’ha fatta, RSI, CH, 6 May 2011, 3 December 2011, it,

Responsibility

Morocco blamed Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb for the bombing.NEWS,www.reuters.com/article/us-morocco-attack-qaeda-idUSTRE7462FB20110507, Qaeda denies involvement in Morocco cafe bomb attack, Reuters, 2 August 2011, Mark, John, 7 May 2011, The group has been fighting an insurgent campaign since 2002. However, Al Qaeda denied responsibility for the blast.On 28 October 2011, in court in Rabat, Adel al-Othmani was sentenced to death for his role in the bombing.WEB, Marrakesh cafe bomber Adel Othmani given death sentence, BBC News, 28 October 2011,www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15500908, Hakim Dah received a life sentence. Four others were given four years and three were given a two-year sentence for their roles. The defendants complained that the case against them was based on confessions coerced through torture and lacked hard evidence.WEB, Morocco court issues death sentence in cafe attack, Associated Press, 28 October 2011,www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2011/10/28/moroccan_court_death_sentence_in_cafe_attack/,

International reactions

{{Flagu|Armenia}} – President Serzh Sargsyan sent his condolences to the King of Morocco and stated his support “in finding the culprits and bringing them to justice”.WEB,news.am/eng/news/57790.html, Armenian President sends condolences to King of Morocco, News.am, 13 June 2009, 2 August 2011, {{Flagu|France}} issued a strong condemnation of the blasts; French president Nicolas Sarkozy describing them as “cruel and cowardly”.WEB, 2011-04-28, World leaders ‘appalled’ at deadly Morocco blast,www.dw.com/en/world-leaders-appalled-at-deadly-morocco-blast/a-15038045, live, 2021-12-11, Deutsche Welle, en-GB,www.dw.com/en/world-leaders-appalled-at-deadly-morocco-blast/a-15038045," title="web.archive.org/web/20170303203319www.dw.com/en/world-leaders-appalled-at-deadly-morocco-blast/a-15038045,">web.archive.org/web/20170303203319www.dw.com/en/world-leaders-appalled-at-deadly-morocco-blast/a-15038045, 3 March 2017, Alain Juppé, the French foreign minister, denounced what it considered to be a “barbaric terrorist attack that nothing can justify”, calling for “all light to be shed on this revolting crime, for those responsible to be found, tried and punished”.WEB, 2021-04-28, Blast devastates Marrakesh cafe,www.aljazeera.com/economy/2011/4/28/deadly-blast-devastates-marrakesh-cafe, live, 2021-12-11, Al Jazeera English, Al Jazeera, en,web.archive.org/web/20211211233611/https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2011/4/28/deadly-blast-devastates-marrakesh-cafe, 11 December 2021, {{Flagu|Germany}} urged that the attack “must not stop the reform process that has been initiated in Morocco”, referring to the ongoing “Arab Spring”.{{Flagu|US}} Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that “the United States condemns in the strongest terms today’s terrorist attack that killed and injured innocent people at a cafe in Marrakesh, Morocco. We extend our deepest sympathies to the victims of this cowardly attack and stand with the people of Morocco at this difficult time.“WEB, 2021-04-28, Terrorist attack at cafe in heart of Moroccan tourist city, 14 dead, 11 foreigners,globalnews.ca/news/116865/terrorist-attack-at-cafe-in-heart-of-moroccan-tourist-city-14-dead-11-foreigners/, live, 2021-12-11, Global News, en-US,web.archive.org/web/20211211233612/https://globalnews.ca/news/116865/terrorist-attack-at-cafe-in-heart-of-moroccan-tourist-city-14-dead-11-foreigners/, 11 December 2021,

References

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