Manar correspondent Abdul Hafiz Sriti

Rabat, 2008 Feb 20, Al-Manar
 
Moroccan authorities banned the Al Badil Al Hadari (The Civilized Alternative) party after detaining its leader on so called terrorism charges, Prime Minister Abbas el-Fassi announced in a statement on February 20. This came after Moroccan Security forces arrested four officials affiliated with three Moroccan Islamic parties as well as Al-Manar's correspondent in Rabat, Abdul Hafiz Sriti.

The reasons behind the arrests have not yet been made clear.

The three arrested officials have been identified as: Mustapha Moatassim, the secretary general of the Al-Badil Al Hadari Party, Mohammed Amin el-Rakaleh, the party's spokesman, Mohammed Marwani who heads the illegal Umma Party and Maoul Aynain Abdullah, the party's official for the Whda Turabiyah file.
 
Speaking to Al-Manar TV, the head of the Arab National Conference in Rabat Khaled Sufyani, said that he could not believe under any condition that some of the arrested figures like Moatassim, Marwani and others have terrorist links "because these are some of the most prominent religious figures in the country. There must be some mistake in some document or some piece of information."

Sufyani also said that there are unpleasant indications as to the circumstances of the arrests however expressed hope that "those who need to be followed up be followed up and those who should be released be released as soon as possible."