The overnight blasts in Casablanca followed Saudi suicide bombings that killed 34 people in expatriate compounds and warnings that Osama bin Laden’s Al Qaeda would strike again. Like the Riyadh assault, Al Qaeda was the prime suspect in Casablanca. A U. S. official said it was "plausible" to suggest that the group Washington blames for the WTC attack was behind the latest attack.

A day after Britain halted airliner flights in and out of Kenya, the Kenyan government said there had been a specific Al Qaeda threat to British Airways planes flying into Nairobi.

Britain later warned its citizens of a "clear terrorist threat" in six other East African countries. A U. S. intelligence official said "chatter" among terrorism suspects picked up by U. S. eavesdropping appeared to be "more consistent, more repetitive" about another attack than it was before the Saudi bombings. The Bush administration, which rejects suggestions that its invasion of Iraq was a distraction from the war on terrorism, says it has inflicted serious setbacks on Al Qaeda. "No one has pretended that Al Qaeda is dead, but I think there’s no question that over the last several months it has suffered some very serious blows and we have arrested some very important, key Al Qaeda figures," U. S. Deputy Defence Secretary Paul Wolfowitz said in Bosnia.

The latest terror alerts included warnings about dangers in Africa and Southeast Asia. Kenya and other countries, fearing for their tourist revenue, accused Britain of over-reacting with its flight ban. Malaysia’s outspoken Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad, accused America of being "afraid of its own shadow."

But Britain extended its alert, warning of a "clear terrorist threat" in Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Tanzania and Uganda. Washington warned its citizens of a "credible threat" in the region. Kenya reported sightings in the region of Al Qaeda suspect Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, accused of masterminding the embassy and hotel bombings and a related attempt to shoot down an Israeli airliner with a surface-to-air missile.

The bombings in Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest oil exporter and a strategic U. S. ally, were perhaps the most clearly targeted at U. S. interests since September 11.

Australia urged extreme caution in Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines and East Timor. Meanwhile, in Casablanca, suicide bombers cut the throat of the porter as they charged into an exclusive Spanish club causing havoc as around 100 patrons enjoyed what should have been a pleasant night out. A policeman at the Casa de Espana said the attackers slit the porter’s throat on entering the club, which has a large inner garden popular with Spanish businessmen and diplomats.

Officials said at least 24 people—including about 10 bombers—died and 60 were wounded in a series of attacks across the country. Casa de Espana club president Rafael Bermudez, still in shock and wearing a blood-stained shirt, said: "I heard two blasts and thought they were short-circuits."

In another part of the city, residents said a bomber blew himself up and three young men passing-by about 100 metres from the main gate of the old Jewish cemetery in a populous district. The bomb appeared to have been a home-made device packed with nails. The five-storey Belgian consulate was also badly damaged opposite a Jewish-owned Italian restaurant. The U. S. consulate is situated nearby, but no U. S. government facility was hit.

Moroccan police launched a major security operation following the bomb attacks.

The focus of the investigation will be on their possible links with the local terrorist organisation, the Salafiyah Jihadiyah, which is suspected of having links with Osama Bin Laden´s Al-Qaeda network.

Officials earlier said three suspects, all Moroccans, had been arrested soon after the co-ordinated attacks. Two of them were reportedly based in the suburbs of the city.

The bombings came after a week of national festivities held to celebrate the birth of a new crown prince—the first child of King Mohammed.

Reports say there are indications that the Casablanca blasts were probably the work of a "North African cell linked to Al-Qaeda." In the past, Osama Bin Laden’s terrorism network has carried out similar co-ordinated suicide bombings against Western or Jewish targets. But this was the first such devastating attack in Morocco.

However, according to some experts, it is too early to draw any conclusions as to whether Al-Qaeda is involved.

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