Hit hard by five attacks 19 years ago in Casablanca, Morocco has learned from this painful experience. Since that sad Friday evening of May 16, 2003, the kingdom has put in place a proactive security strategy that has allowed it to thwart several attacks and dismantle more than 200 dormant cells in Morocco and abroad.
The terrorist attacks of May 16, 2003 in Casablanca reminded Moroccans that their country was not immune to terrorism. The families of the victims of these tragic events are still demanding, 18 years later, that the truth about the identity of the sponsors of these attacks be finally revealed.
Said Mansour, the main instigator of the Casablanca attacks , avoids the death penalty. Sentenced to death in the first instance, the 61-year-old man saw his sentence commuted to 25 years in prison.
Mohamed Chatbi, a Salafist detainee convicted in 2003 of terrorism and sentenced to 20 years in prison, received an exceptional royal pardon on Sunday. His prison sentence had been increased to 30 years following an escape attempt in 2008.