On February 18 , 2003 , Kettani was arrested by Moroccan authorities . On September 23 , he was sentenced to 20 years in prison in connection with the 2003 Casablanca bombings , for which authorities accused him of being an ideological leader . Kettani denied this and asserted that his conviction was politically motivated and illegal . Human rights groups criticized his sentencing as unfair . In June 2005 , he and 664 other Islamists began a hunger strike in prison to protest their convictions . Moroccan politician Mohamed Bouzoubaa criticized the move as being more concerned with politics than human rights , though Kettani 's lawyer Mustafa Ramid upheld that he and other Islamists were victims of unjust trials . A second hunger strike took place at the prison in Kenitra in 2010 though most detainees ceased after negotiations with authorities ; Kettani continued the strike longer than all other detainees , continuing to uphold his innocence and demand a reopening of his case
2003 Casablanca bombings
2003 Casablanca bombings
Hassan Kettani