Breaking news: Explosions reported in Casablanca-Morocco Says at Least 20 Dead in Car Bombs Attacks

http://www.foxnews.com/ ^ | 5/16/2003 | Foxnews

[stlnative]

The news on this sure is breaking slow tonight.

Reuters

Morocco said four "criminal explosions" had hit its commercial capital Casablanca on Friday night and caused an unspecified number of casualties.

Against a background of a worldwide terror alert, residents told Reuters one target of several apparent bomb attacks seemed to have been a synagogue or Jewish community center.

[byteback]

Now the king told the boogie men
You have to let that raga drop
The oil down the desert way
Has been shakin' to the top
The shiek he drove his Cadillac
He went a' cruisnin' down the ville
The muezzin was a' standing
On the radiator grille
CHORUS
The shareef don't like it
Rockin' the Casbah
Rock the Casbah
The shareef don't like it
Rockin' the Casbah
Rock the Casbah
By order of the prophet
We ban that boogie sound
Degenerate the faithful
With that craazy Casbah sound
But the Bedouin they brought out
The electric camel drum
The local guitar picker
Got his guitar picking thumb
As soon as the shareef
Had cleared the square
They began to wail
CHORUS
Now over at the temple
Oh! They really pack 'em in
The in crowd say it's cool
To dig this chanting thing
But as the wind changed direction
The temple band took five
The crowd caught a wiff
Of that crazy Casbah jive
CHORUS
The king called up his jet fighters
He said you better eaarn your pay
Drop your bombs between the minarets
Down the Casbah way
As soon as the shareef was
Chauffeured outta there
The jet pilots tuned to
The cockpit radio blare
As soon as the shareef was
Outta their hair
The jet pilots wailed
CHORUS
He thinks it's not kosher
Fundamentally he can't take it.
You know he really hates it.

[kcvl]

RABAT, Morocco - Four separate explosions of "criminal origin" tore through the coastal city of Casablanca Friday, leaving at least several people dead or wounded, security officials said.

An official at the U.S. State Department in Washington said there were reports of four car bombings.

Moroccan security officials said there were burnt-out vehicles at the four sites near consulates and restaurants in the center of the city, Morocco's economic center.

[Dog]

Hispanic center

Spanish?

[Heartlander2]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&ncid=514&e=1&u=/ap/20030517/ap_on_re_af/morocco_explosions

Several Die in 4 Casablanca Explosions
AP News

RABAT, Morocco - Four car bombs exploded in the coastal city of Casablanca Friday, leaving several people dead or wounded, Moroccan security officials said.

A U.S. official said the blasts occurred near a synagogue. "No U.S. government facility was targeted," U.S. State Department spokesman Joanne Moore said in Washington.

Moroccan security officials said there were burnt-out vehicles at the four sites near consulates and restaurants in the center of the city, Morocco's economic center.

It was not immediately clear who was behind the attacks in Morocco.

But U.S. counterterrorism officials in Washington had warned Friday of a coordinated effort by Osama bin Laden (news - web sites)'s al-Qaida network to strike lightly defended targets worlwide, citing the bombings earlier this week in Saudi Arabia as well as threats in Africa and Asia.

U.S. and British authorities had warned of threats in East Africa, particularly Kenya, and in southeast Asia, particularly Malaysia. U.S. officials also received an unconfirmed report that a possible terrorist attack may occur in the western Saudi city of Jiddah.

Al-Qaida has suffered serious blows in recent months, including the capture of alleged Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed. But senior al-Qaida leaders were thought to be hiding in Pakistan, Afghanistan (news - web sites) and Iran, U.S. officials said.

[yonif]

I was just celebrating my birthday, before I came on FR. Thanks for the bump.

[aristeides]

Spanish? I expect so. There used to be a Spanish Morocco (around Tangier). Spain still rules the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla on the Moroccan Mediterranean coast.

[stlnative]

Several Die in 4 Casablanca Explosions - 6 minutes ago

[Salvation]

More on Reuters now

Morocco Says Casualties in Casablanca Attacks
Fri May 16, 2003 07:57 PM ET
RABAT (Reuters) - Morocco said four "criminal explosions" had hit its commercial capital Casablanca on Friday night and caused an unspecified number of casualties.

Against a background of a worldwide terror alert, residents told Reuters one target of several apparent bomb attacks seemed to have been a synagogue or Jewish community center.

The official Moroccan news agency MAP, monitored by the BBC, said: "Four criminal explosions have resulted in casualties on Friday night in Casablanca."

Residents told Reuters by telephone from Casablanca that other blasts struck near the Hotel Safir, located in the old heart of the city center, the Belgian consulate and a restaurant, all in different parts of town.

A senior security source told Reuters by telephone from Casablanca that it was not clear what the targets were.

Casablanca lies on the Atlantic coast about 60 miles southwest of the capital Rabat.

Morocco's only oil refinery, at Mohammedia just north of Casablanca, was ravaged by fire during heavy floods last November. The 125,000 barrels-per-day plant was expected to be back in full operation by the end of July.

[Ursus arctos horribilis]

Bogey is back, play it again Sam.

[Bobby777]

sorry it's a bad-news bump ... but Happy Birthday anyway ...

[stlnative]

Morocco Journalist Says 'Many Dead' in Casablanca - Fri May 16, 2003 08:09 PM ET

[stlnative]

It sounds pretty bad after reading the lastest report in my last post before this one.

I will back later to check on updated posts.

[stlnative]

I will ^be^ back later (oops)

[TLBSHOW]

Happy Birthday my friend!

[Diddle E. Squat]

I know that you are only following the lead of other idiots, but by the time that you decided to post this it was clear that there were several people killed by terrorists. Just because they weren't related to you, what exactly makes their deaths funny? I dunno, reading about persons murdered and others losing limbs, eyes, etc. to bombs likely planted by a terrorist group we are at war doesn't put me in the mood for lyrics and laughter.

Is it too much to ask for a little restraint and appropriateness?

[tubebender]

Spanish?... Basques?

[tomahawk]

Ditto. Too many cretins post inappropriate garbarge when people are being mangled by terrorists.

[adam_az]

He posted the lyrics to the rock song "Rock the Casbah" by the Clash, not a joke.

[Timesink]

I think they all get their breaking news via Reuters or AP?

Sadly, nobody at the news networks would know if their own ass was on fire unless the AP wire told them so first.