The Associated Press

Thu, May 15, 2008 (5:07 p.m.)

A Moroccan court broadened investigations Thursday into two alleged terrorism cells, one accused of supporting insurgents in Iraq and the other of plotting suicide bombings in Casablanca last year.

In the first case, the criminal court in Sale, near the capital, Rabat, said it would investigate the relatives of some of the 27 suspects accused of recruiting Moroccans for the Iraq insurgency.

Authorities say the group, known as the "Tetouan cell" after the northern Moroccan town where most of its alleged members come from, was headed by Ahmed Safri, a Swede of Moroccan origin who returned to his native country to organize a support team that sent several fighters to Iraq.

The suspected cell members are charged with "ideological, financial and logistical ties" to several terrorist organizations, including al-Qaida, the official MAP news agency said.

The court did not specify how many of the accused members' relatives would be investigated, or on what grounds.

The court heard 14 of the suspects Thursday, who all denied any link to al-Qaida. The trial is set to resume May 20.

In a separate case, the Sale court, which specializes in terrorism cases, decided to investigate the relatives of 52 defendants accused of a series of suicide bombings in Casablanca in March and April 2007.

Viewed in the West as a pillar of Muslim moderation, Morocco has nonetheless seen a rise of political and extremist Islam in recent years. Hundreds of suspected Islamic militants are behind bars in this North African country, a staunch ally of the U.S.