| An Italian court acquitted nine Moroccans accused of plotting to attack the US Embassy in Rome by poisoning its water supply. The nine Moroccans were arrested in February 2002 after police found almost nine pounds of potassium ferrocyanide in their apartment building, along with falsified documents and a map showing the US Embassy. Scientists said the chemical was a potential precursor of a deadly poison. Days later, police discovered a hole dug into an underground passageway next to the downtown embassy, raising fears that militants were planning to contaminate water pipes leading into the heavily guarded compound. After their arrest, the nine Moroccans told investigators they knew nothing about the chemicals or the map, saying many people passed through the apartment. Their lawyers told reporters yesterday that the cyanide compound was not a dangerous substance, and might, at worst, have been used to help forge identification documents. |