Ya Sidi Samir! Labas? Okay. I checked your riad today and all is well. Michelle has installed wireless internet! So you will be connected to the world when you return. She has the place looking wonderful but the work has not started on the woodwork yet... Soon, inshallah. This morning is very beautiful sunshine and twenty degrees. Best time of year. You should be here!
I read your response to Foulla's interesting post (Salaam Foulla!). So I did as you asked and talked to Alaa, Karim and our other mad friends and called a few others in both Fès and Casa - and almost everyone of the younger people said they did not think about Sebta and Melilia. A couple of my older friends in Fès said they thought that it is a pity nothing is said in public and another said we needed a new Green March! Hard to imagine, non? Hundreds of thousands marching on Sebta? I don't think so. And as long as the English hold on to Gibraltar, Espania can laugh at Morocco. Is there a public interest? No, I must say not. Could there be? Mumkin. Should there be? Naam! Oui! Ja!
May I change the subject? Just when you do not ever want to hear about terrorism any more ... You may remember that we talked about when Brahim Benchekroun and Mohammed Mazouz were released from Guantanamo? That was back in August last year. They were arrested in Pakistan and Afghanistan in October or November 2001 and among five Moroccans accused of taking training courses in how to handle firearms and make explosives. Well they have turned up again amongst the seventeen people arrested by the police as part of a terrorist network. The news came out yesterday (Sunday) I believe they have been arrested earlier on November 11. Others arrested as part of al-Qaida in Morocco may have been caught earlier.
Others picked up are believed to be Khaled Azig and Mohamed R'ha, who were recruiters. The size of the network is unclear but it is believed to have links "with small groups on the Iraqi border and close ties to leading members of the al-Qaida."
UPDATE: The prosecuting authorities in Rabat have authorised a 96-hour extension of the arrests after nine days of detention to allow the police to complete their inquiry. Defence lawyer, Mohamed Hilal, said police had released Redouane Chekkouri, one of five Moroccans formerly detained by the United States at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, of whom there had been no news since November 11.
His name was not on the list of 17 radicals whose arrests had been announced Sunday. Two other former detainees at Guantanamo -- Brahim Benchekroun and Mohamed Mazouz -- were among the 17.
Tags: Morocco, Sebta, Melilia, Fez,
1 comment:
It certainly is. It will be interesting to watch and see if the issue of immigrants using the areas as a way into Europe has any impact on their eventual status. Once again, thanks for raising the issue.
Post a Comment