Four Moroccan men receive death for attacks

CASABLANCA, Morocco -- A Moroccan court sentenced four men to death and jailed 83 others Tuesday for their involvement in a wave of terror attacks in Casablanca that killed 33 bystanders and a dozen suicide bombers in May.

The trial involved dozens of defendants accused of belonging to a clandestine Moroccan group, the Salafia Jihadia. Moroccan authorities have linked the group to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network.

Four men were convicted of plotting to blow themselves up in the May 16 attacks.

Officials said 83 other defendants were convicted of being members of the outlawed group, with 39 being sentenced to life in prison for helping prepare unsuccessful attacks in tourist attractions, including the historic city of Marrakech and two beach resorts, Agadir and Essaouira.

Security was extremely tight, with defendants lined up behind a bulletproof-glass shield and a metal detector in the courtroom. When the verdict was announced, defendants cried "God is great!"

The bombers used homemade explosives stuffed into backpacks and detonated at almost precisely the same time in five locations.

: a major downtown hotel as well as Jewish and Spanish sites.

Investigators have said the suicide attackers were all drafted from a shantytown on the edge of Casablanca, Morocco's largest city. Though they were all of Moroccan nationality, local authorities believe an international network was behind the attacks.

The bombings stunned this North African kingdom, which prided itself on the peace that prevailed here despite a deadly Islamic insurgency raging in neighboring Algeria for more than a decade.

Morocco has not carried out a death sentence since 1993. In July, a Moroccan court sentenced 10 Islamic extremists to death for their roles in a series of slayings, thefts and attacks.

The four-judge panel deliberated for about 14 hours before announcing the verdict at around 1 a.m. local time. Defendants have eight days to appeal.

During the trial, one of the would-be bombers -- Mohamed El Omari, a 23-year-old night watchman -- testified he was "not happy with the (political) situation in Morocco" and had "hoped to blow himself up" at a major downtown hotel that was targeted.

Two others accused of plotting to act as suicide bombers were identified as Yassine Lahnech, a street vendor, and Rachid Jalil, a welder. A fourth man, Hassan Tawssi, unemployed, was accused of being a "backup" bomber.

Three spiritual leaders of the Salafia Jihadia group were sentenced to 30 years in prison. They included Mohamed Fizazi, 55, who had preached at a Hamburg, Germany, mosque frequented by some of the hijackers who carried out the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States. Two young defendants received 10-month sentences.

Justice Minister Mohammed Bouzoubaa has said more than 1,000 suspected Islamic militants are facing legal proceedings for terrorism-related activities across the North African kingdom.