Morocco arrests 3 for deadly Marrakesh blast, says chief suspect ‘loyal’ to Al-Qaeda

The Moroccan interior ministry announced on Thursday that three people had been arrested for suspected involvement in the April 28 bombing of a Marrakesh café, an Al Arabiya TV correspondent said.

Authorities said the chief suspect among the three was “loyal” to Al-Qaeda.

Earlier, France said it had received information suggesting that Moroccan authorities had identified two suspects in the Marrakesh bomb attack that killed 16 people, Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said.

The blast ripped through a popular tourist café; eight of the victims were French. Paris has sent officers to assist the Moroccan investigation and French anti-terrorism judges have opened a formal probe.

“For the moment, the investigation is continuing,” Mr. Juppe said. “From the information I have received, it is going well. We seem to have identified two possible suspects. There has been no claim of responsibility.”

(Mustapha Ajbaili of Al Arabiya can be reached via email at: [email protected])