A Frenchman arrested in connection with the recent suicide explosions in Morocco met with al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden while training in Afghanistan, according to Moroccan press reports Wednesday.
Pierre Robert, reportedly also known as Abou Abderrahmane, was arrested earlier this week in the northern Moroccan port of Tangiers in connection with the May 16 bombings in Casablanca, which left 43 people dead, including 12 attackers.
"The man who met bin Laden", headlined the Al Bayane daily, next to photos of the suspect and the hunted international terror mastermind. The report said that Robert had "met with Osama bin Laden and had trained in Afghanistan to carry out terror attacks".
According to the Assabah daily, the Frenchman's alleged meeting with Osama bin Laden and his relations with Islamist groups abroad had helped him secure a top position in Moroccan fundamentalist circles. (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
