Morocco's King Mohammed issued pardons to several jailed Islamists who rights groups say were unfairly jailed. The prisoners covered by the pardon included leading figures in a group called Salafia Jihadia. Morocco's authorities say the group helped orchestrate a coordinated wave of suicide bombings in the commercial capital, Casablanca, in 2003 which killed 45 people. Among those who received pardons were Hassan Kettani, one of the ideological leaders of Salafia Jihadia, who was serving a 20 year sentence, and Mohamed Rafiki and Omar Haddouchi, two other leaders of the group who were each serving 30 years. Meanwhile, Moroccan police have arrested three suspects accused of planning to carry out attacks on the security of the state. The MAP news agency, citing a statement from the interior ministry, says one of the suspects is a Moroccan with Danish nationality who traveled to Morocco from Europe. The suspects are accused of belonging to an unauthorized organization, the Party for Moroccan Islamic Liberation. Authorities believe the group receives financial support from activists resident in Europe.
