Morocco Indicts 6 More Suspects in Casablanca Blasts

Authorities provided new details about the dead man, who allegedly organized the synchronized attacks that killed 43 people on May 16. The suspect, a 30-year-old who owned a small shoe store in the city of Fez, had been ill with chronic heart problems and a severely enlarged liver caused by medication, officials said.

An autopsy established that he died of natural causes Wednesday after being arrested two days earlier in Fez, according to Moroccan and Spanish officials. His condition worsened during an interrogation and he died en route to the hospital, authorities said.

"He was gravely ill when he was arrested," Shakib Larousi, a Moroccan government spokesman, said in a telephone interview. "The prosecutors found no indications that he had been physically abused."

Moroccan officials reiterated their suspicions Thursday that international terrorists played a supervisory role in the attacks, which were carried out by Moroccan extremists. European investigators said the investigation has reinforced their view that the Al Qaeda terrorist network inspired and directed the bombers, who were working-class men in their late teens and early 20s.

Nonetheless, the alleged organizer's death contributes to unanswered questions about a case in which Moroccan police are being assisted by investigators from Spain, France, Italy, the United States and other countries. Spanish, French and Italian citizens were among those killed, but most of the victims were Moroccan.

Saying they wanted to keep the investigation confidential, Moroccan officials declined to disclose the full name of the alleged ringleader Thursday. They identified him only by his first name, Abdelhak, and his nickname, Moul Sebbat, which means "shoe seller."

European investigators expressed concern Thursday about complications arising from the death of Abdelhak, who as a suspected leader would have been key to uncovering the Moroccan network's foreign contacts.

"It's obviously a strange development," a high-ranking Spanish law enforcement official said. "It's unfortunate. We still are convinced the attacks have a relationship to Al Qaeda. But we need more information."