330 arrested for plot

2006-05-26 20:51

Rabat - Morocco has arrested 330 activists from the main Islamic fundamentalist opposition in several cities, following reports that the unauthorised group was plotting an uprising this year.

On Friday, Al-Adl was al-Ihsane (Justice and Charity) officials said one of its leaders, Mohamed Abdelli, and 181 other members were arrested in Oujda, 540km east of Rabat, on Thursday.

There were also arrests in the small nearby town of Beni Modhar, they said.

A group official said: "Police stormed the two places where the members were meeting and arrested them, before they emptied the offices of everything they found inside, including computers and books.

Another official said: "A total of 148 brothers (Al-Adl members) were arrested in Rabat and three other cities on Wednesday and the previous two days."

"All those arrested were released later, but the mass arrests were unprecedented since we launched an 'Open Doors' campaign weeks ago in several cities."

'Normally they just watch'

He said the authorities sealed off the group's office in Oujda and posted policemen to prevent access to it.

The official said: "It is the first time the authorities took such a decision, to seal off an office. In the past, they deployed police discreetly to watch without intervening."

Al-Adl, which shies away from violence, is tolerated but not authorised as a legal party.

Al-Adl spokesperson Fathallah Arslane said the crackdown was spurred by what he called biased reports and comments in some local anti-Islamist newspapers about the group's activities.

Newspapers and commentators have said the leadership of Al-Adl wa al-Ihsane, the country's largest opposition group with about 250 000 members, told their followers to prepare for a Qawma (Intifada) this year, to establish a purist Muslim fundamentalist state.

'The authorities are alarmed'

Dismissing the reports of a Qawma, Arslane said: "We are organising activities like the 'Open Doors' campaign so more people will know us for what we are, rather than what some media say about us."

Another Al-Adl official said the authorities had been eyeing the "Open Doors" campaign closely and moved to stop it when they saw it was arousing interest.

He said: "The authorities were alarmed by the large number of people who showed an interest in listening to us and joining us. The authorities do not want that ahead of next year's parliamentary elections"

Government officials were not available for comment.

Analysts said the government pursued a containment strategy to trim Al-Adl's strength without confronting it.

- Reuters