Lawyers representing three of the 52 suspected militants on trial here for a string of blasts that rocked Casablanca in May argued yesterday that their clientsâ legal rights had been violated. A total of 35 defendants appeared in court, massed behind a bulletproof glass, to face charges of criminal association, undermining internal state security, sabotage, murder and intention to cause injury.
| To say nothing of the legal rights of their victims... |
Five nearly simultaneous explosions struck Casablanca, the North African kingdomâs largest city and commercial capital, on May 16. While the attacks were aimed at foreign and Jewish targets, most of the victims were Moroccan nationals. A total of 52 suspected members of a banned radical group, the Salafia Jihadia, are on trial over the attacks. One of the suspected militants yesterday pleaded innocent, saying he played no part in the devastating attacks last May that killed 44 people including 12 assailants. âI reject all of these accusations. I deny them,â said 23-year-old Mohamed El-Omari. âI havenât killed anyone.â
Omari was arrested that same night outside one of the target spots, a hotel where the bodies of 12 suicide bombers were discovered. Along with Omari, a night security guard also called Abou Zoubeir, the two other men accused of being would-be suicide attackers are Rachid Jalil, a 27-year-old welder alias Abou Anas, and 22-year-old street vendor Yassine Lahnech, alias Abou Ibrahim.
| "I didn't kill nobody, I tells ya! I think the daggone fuse was wet..." |
The trial first opened on Monday but was immediately suspended to give the defense more time to prepare its arguments. After the new session resumed yesterday, 19 of them once again were granted a postponement after the defense argued it had still not been able to prepare its case and meet its clients. But the three accused were denied any postponement of their case. |