Moroccan authorities vow to catch escaped prisoners

09/04/2008

The central prison in Kenitra was the scene of a breakout by nine prisoners jailed for their role in the Casablanca terror bombings. An army of security officers has descended on the area to search houses, streets and villages, with checkpoints springing up in many other parts of Morocco.

By Hassan Benmehdi for Magharebia in Casablanca – 09/04/08

[Getty Images] A view of Kenitra prison on Tuesday (April 8th), where nine Moroccans convicted of involvement in the deadly 2003 Casablanca bombings escaped through a tunnel they dug.

Nine Moroccans convicted for the deadly 2003 Casablanca bombings pulled off an unprecedented jailbreak on Monday (April 7th) by digging a tunnel out of their prison in Kenitra, north of Rabat. The escaped inmates had all been sentenced in connection with the May 2003 Casablanca suicide bombings of two restaurants, the 5-star Hotel Farah and a Jewish community centre which killed 33 civilians.

The breakout was discovered on Monday morning by prison staff conducting a daily cell inspection. "Measures were taken to catch the escaped prisoners and find out who was responsible", officials from the Ministry of Justice said, adding that teams of investigators were probing the circumstances surrounding the jailbreak.

According to the initial findings of the inquiry, the inmates timed their jailbreak for 5 am to coincide with dawn prayers, after having dug a tunnel 25 metres long and 1 metre wide.

Since Monday, an army of security officers has descended on the city of Kenitra and the surrounding areas to search houses, streets and villages near the central prison, with checkpoints springing up in many other parts of Morocco. Descriptions of the missing prisoners have been issued and border guards have been alerted, the Ministry of the Interior announced.

Authorities identified the escaped prisoners as Abdelhadi Eddahbi, who was on death row for his role in the terror attacks, and Hicham Al Alami, Mohamed Mouhim, Abdellah Boughmir, Hamou Al Hassani,Tarik Al Yahyaoui and Mohamed Chadli, all of whom were serving life sentences. Authorities are also hunting for two brothers given 20-year jail terms: Kamal Echatbi, 25 and Mohamed Echatbi, 35. Their sister told Le Monde that police also arrested their father on Monday.

Abderrahim Mahtade, the president of Annassir (an NGO providing support to Islamist prisoners), said all the escapees were originally from Casablanca.

Some Moroccans worry that the escape of these nine prisoners jailed over the Casablanca bombings could reawaken fears of further terrorist attacks.

Claude, a Moroccan Jew, feels these individuals represent a real and permanent danger to the public: "We must catch them before they commit acts of violence to taste revenge."

Ahmed, a garage attendant, expressed faith that the authorities will catch the prisoners. "It's a matter of time," he said. Waiter Rachid called for a quick capture of the prisoners "to reduce their threat" and demanded an inquiry into the conduct of the prison officials.

Najwa, a switchboard operator in a bank, told Magharebia, "This could be dangerous because these men have been given severe sentences and could be out for revenge against society."

She added, "They are disillusioned men with nothing left to lose."

The prisoners reportedly left word, however, that they pose no threat to the Moroccan public. Before carrying out their plan, the escapees left behind a written document in the prison describing the reasons which spurred them to escape.

The document stated that there was no point trying to pin the blame on other prisoners or the prison authorities: "We say no to injustice, we have tried everything possible but in vain… We will not harm anyone unless they harm us, " they wrote, before concluding: "We only want our freedom."

According to Kacimi, a former prisoner at Kenitra, "there are two reasons why they might have been able to escape: the dilapidated state of the prison and the lack of rigorous cell inspections."

The central prison in Kenitra first hit the headlines in December following the escape of a drug trafficker by the name of Mohamed Ouazzani, also known as Nini. One month later, eight guards at the prison were handed sentences ranging from two months to two years in prison for having assisted his escape.

The jail became known for the detention of politicians, unionists, and others who tried to commit coups during the 1970's. Currently, it holds the majority of convicted terrorists. It is also the only prison able to house death row inmates and prisoners serving life sentences.