RABAT, Morocco (AP) -- Two brothers strapped with explosives blew themselves up near an American cultural center in Casablanca Saturday, and police arrested another three suspects - including one wearing an explosives belt - hours later, an official said.The attacks came just days after three suspected militants blew themselves up as they were cornered by police in Casablanca, and al-Qaida claimed suicide car bombings in neighboring Algeria that killed 33 people. The attacks have stoked new fears of Islamic terrorism in North Africa - especially in Morocco, long known for its stability.
The Moroccan and Algerian governments have not addressed an al-Qaida link or inspiration in the bombings earlier this week. Both countries have allied themselves with the United States in its fight against terrorism. Saturday's two bombers detonated their explosives in the middle of a boulevard that runs behind the American cultural center, killing themselves and wounding a woman, the official said, adding that the three suspects were arrested in the neighborhood, which is also home to the American Consulate and a synagogue.
After the arrests, a second explosives belt was found beside an upscale hotel in the same neighborhood struck by the bombings, the Interior Ministry official said on condition of anonymity, citing ministry policy. The official said the belts linked the bombers with three men who blew themselves up in Casablanca on Tuesday after being cornered by police. A police sniper shot and killed a fourth man who authorities said appeared to be preparing to detonate a bomb.
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