Nine Casablanca terrorists escape from Moroccan prison

The Moroccan Justice Ministry said a search had begun for the convicts, who escaped from a prison in Kenitra, northwest of Rabat, yesterday morning.

Islamist prisoner rights advocacy group Ennassir said the jailbreak coincided with a one-day hunger strike by about 1,000 Islamist prisoners held at several prisons across Morocco, including Kenitra's.

Scroll down for more...

The suicide bombings in Casablanca five years ago killed 45 people, including the 12 attackers, and injured a further 100.

The attacks, which targeted a Jewish community center and cemetery, a hotel, a restaurant and a Spanish social club, were a harsh wake up call to the threat of terrorism for the moderate Muslim nation.

Moroccan authorities suspect the banned Islamist group Salafia Jihadia, which security officials have accused of being linked to al-Quaida, was behind the attacks.

A crackdown on suspected militants immediately after the bombings saw thousands arrested. Seven hundred were put on trial and four sentenced to death.

Authorities have since carried out regular anti-terror sweeps, sparking concerns among human rights groups, which claim innocent people have been targeted.

In March last year, a suicide bomber blew himself up in a Casablanca cyber cafe, and investigators later uncovered an alleged plot targeting tourist sites across Morocco.

In April 2007, two brothers strapped with explosives blew themselves up near the U.S. consulate.