Al-Qaida Alleged in Marrakesh Bombing

The al-Qaida terror network is among the suspects in connection with a bomb attack that killed 16 in the Moroccan city of Marrakesh, the government said Friday.

Communications Minister Khalid Naciri said that investigators would pursue all leads including possible links to al-Qaida which operates a North African offshoot which is active in the region, Agence France Presse reported.

"All leads will be investigated, including al-Qaida," he said.

"The investigation continues to find the perpetrators, but for the moment I am not prepared to point the finger."

Fourteen people, most of them foreigners, died Thursday when a suspected suicide bomb exploded at a crowded tourist cafe in Djemaa el-Fna, the main square of Marrakesh.

A total of 23 others were badly injured, two of whom died overnight, bring the toll to 16 Friday.

The blast was condemned as a terrorist attack by the Moroccan government, the United States and France and a Moroccan official said it may have been the work of a suicide bomber.

Interior Minister Taib Cherkaoui said the 14 who died Thursday included 11 foreigners. No nationalities were given for the two fatalities Friday.

Authorities in France said at lest six of the dead were French.

Rabat, Washington and Paris condemned what they said was a "terrorist" attack on the cafe, a favorite haunt for foreign visitors to the touristic city about 350 kilometers (220 miles) south of the capital.

Al-Qaida's regional offshoot, al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, is active in countries in the region, notably carrying out a serious of kidnappings for ransom in recent years.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who spoke to Morocco's King Mohammed IV on the telephone Thursday, said the bombing was "heinous, cruel and cowardly."

Witnesses said the explosion happened on the terrace of the popular Argana cafe, whose facade and first floor were severely damaged, with tables and chairs strewn around the terrace.

The latest attack was the deadliest in the North African monarchy since 33 people were killed by 12 suicide bombers in Casablanca in 2003. An attempted attack in 2007 was thwarted and one of three would-be bombers killed.

Morocco, a country of 32 million people whose economy relies heavily on tourism, has largely been spared the pro-change revolts that have swept the Arab world since the end of last year.

But there have been three protests since February to demand reform, prompting King Mohammed to announce major political changes, including greater judicial independence.

In mid-April, he pardoned political prisoners, including Islamists, in a gesture of appeasement.

Moroccan security forces have been deployed in the country in the wake of the blast.

A senior police official said cordons have been erected at the entrances to Morocco's main cities, "to ensure the internal security of the country".

French intelligence and anti-terrorism experts will travel to Marrakesh on Friday to help in the probe, a source said.

The United Nations, Britain, Germany, Spain and the Council of Europe human rights watchdog also condemned the attack.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague described it as "utterly reprehensible and said alleged links to terrorism were worrying.