The 1972 Moroccan coup attempt was an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate King

Hassan II of Morocco Hassan II ( ar, الحسن الثاني, translit=al-Ḥasan aṯ-ṯhānī;), with the prefix "Mulay" before his enthronement 9 July 1929 – 23 July 1999) was the King of Morocco from 1961 until his death in 1999. He was a member of the 'Ala ...

on 16 August 1972. The attempted

coup d'état A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...

occurred in

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

when a rebel faction within the Moroccan military attempted to shoot down an aircraft carrying the Moroccan king,

Hassan II Hassan, Hasan, Hassane, Haasana, Hassaan, Asan, Hassun, Hasun, Hassen, Hasson or Hasani may refer to: People *Hassan (given name), Arabic given name and a list of people with that given name *Hassan (surname), Arabic, Jewish, Irish, and Scottis ...

. The attempt was orchestrated by General

Mohamed Oufkir General Mohammad Oufkir ( ar, محمد أوفقير; 14 May 1920 − 16 August 1972) was a Moroccan senior military officer who held many important governmental posts. It is believed that he was assassinated for his alleged role in the failed 1 ...

, a close advisor to King Hassan. He was assisted by

Mohamed Amekrane Mohamed Amekrane ( ar, محمد أمقران; 1938 – 13 January 1973) was a Moroccan air force officer who was executed after the 1972 coup attempt against King Hassan II of Morocco, known as the "coup of the aviators". Background Mohamed A ...

, commander of the Moroccan air force base at

Kenitra Kenitra ( ar, القُنَيْطَرَة, , , ; ber, ⵇⵏⵉⵟⵔⴰ, Qniṭra; french: Kénitra) is a city in north western Morocco, formerly known as Port Lyautey from 1932 to 1956. It is a port on the Sebou River, Sebou river, has a popul ...

. On August 16, four

Northrop F-5 The Northrop F-5 is a family of supersonic light fighter aircraft initially designed as a privately funded project in the late 1950s by Northrop Corporation. There are two main models, the original F-5A and F-5B Freedom Fighter variants and t ...

jets, acting on Oufkir's orders, intercepted Hassan's

Boeing 727 The Boeing 727 is an American narrow-body airliner that was developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. After the heavy 707 quad-jet was introduced in 1958, Boeing addressed the demand for shorter flight lengths from smaller airpo ...

as it returned from

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. Reportedly, King Hassan grabbed the radio and told the rebel pilots, "Stop firing! The tyrant is dead!" Fooled, the rebel pilots broke off their attack. Hassan's plane, which had been strafed by air force jets, killing eight and injuring 40,''Morocco: the Islamist awakening and other challenges.'' Marvine Howe, p. 111 landed safely at

Rabat Rabat (, also , ; ar, الرِّبَاط, er-Ribât; ber, ⵕⵕⴱⴰⵟ, ṛṛbaṭ) is the capital city of Morocco and the country's seventh largest city with an urban population of approximately 580,000 (2014) and a metropolitan populati ...

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surface ...

Background

The coup occurred a year after another attempted military coup against

's regime. 250 rebels based in the Ahermoumou cadet training school attacked the king's palace on his 42nd birthday, killing 91 people and injuring 133. Oufkir had gained power after the coup in 1971, moving from the Minister of Interior to Defence. Many had believed he planned the first coup to facilitate this rise.

Attack

Boeing 727-2B6, Royal Air Maroc - RAM AN1217763

On 16 August 1972, as Hassan was returning to Morocco from a personal visit to France, four air force pilots, flying

fighter jets, attacked the

. The planes shot holes through the fuselage, killing some passengers. One plane broke off, strafing a nearby airfield and killing many on the ground. Allegedly, the rebel pilots broke off their attack on the king's aircraft after the king himself grabbed the radio and told the rebel pilots, "Stop firing! The tyrant is dead!" Believing their mission to have been accomplished, the rebel pilots broke off their attack. Eight passengers on the royal jet were killed and 40 injured, however, the jet was able to land safely at

airport.

Aftermath

Kenitra Air Base Kenitra Air Base (Arabic: �لقنيطرةمطار) is a military airport in Kenitra, a city in the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region in Morocco. It is also known as the Third Royal Air Force Base, operated by the Royal Moroccan Air Force. History Ken ...

, where most of the rebellious air force officers were based, was surrounded and hundreds arrested. Oufkir was found dead of multiple gunshot wounds later on 16 August, ostensibly from suicide. Many of his relatives were imprisoned, not being released until 1991, speculated to be because of international criticism for possible human rights abuses. General Amekrane fled to

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

after the coup's failure; he failed to receive asylum and was extradited back to Morocco where he was executed by firing squad.

References

External links

{{African coups d'état
Et Tu, Oufkir? - TIME
1970s coups d'état and coup attempts 20th century in Morocco Attempted coups in Morocco Failed regicides Republicanism in Morocco Military history of Morocco Conflicts in 1972 August 1972 events in Africa 1972 in Morocco Arab rebellions