1971 Moroccan coup attempt

The first of two attempted coups during Hassan's rule, it was organized by a rebel faction of the Royal Armed Forces led by Lieutenant-Colonel M'hamed Ababou and General Mohamed Medbouh.Hassan, his immediate family, and his aides escaped and hid in a bathroom near the palace swimming pool, and the rebels were killed or captured by members of the Royal Guard.The coup attempt led to Hassan reforming the Royal Armed Forces, including installing Mohamed Oufkir as Minister of Defense.[4] Inspired by Gamal Abdel Nasser and the 1952 Egyptian coup, Medbouh began to make plans for a forcible take-over of the government, and recruited senior officers from the Royal Armed Forces to capture the king[13][4] and establish a "revolutionary council" to rid the country of corruption.[25][7] The cadets had been told that the king was being held captive by "subversives and trade unionists,"[9][21][7] that his life was threatened and that it was necessary to kill the alleged insurgents to save him.[5][29] Hassan, his family, and aides were able to flee and hide in a small pavilion next to the palace's swimming pool, while other guests fled to the nearby beach.[30] There were also rumors that M'hamed Ababou or his right-hand man, CWO Harrouch Akka,[32] shot Medbouh during a dispute over the coup's ultimate aims.[3][11] At 17:45 (GMT), M'hamed Ababou hastily ordered the remaining soldiers in Skhirat to Rabat to launch a series of coordinated attacks on several strategic locations, including the Ministry of Interior, and the headquarters of the Royal Armed Forces of and Radio-Maroc.[7] Ababou first visited the Mohammed V Military Hospital, where he declined surgery and underwent palliative care to limit bleeding from his gunshot wound.[7][13] Troops loyal to the monarch, led by Maj.-Gen. Mohamed Bachir El Bouhali, attempted to detain Ababou and engaged in a shoot-out with the rebels at the headquarters of the Royal Armed Forces.[23][11] The coup attempt led to 278 deaths, including 158 rebel cadets, 20 loyalist soldiers, two police officers, and 98 civilian guests in Skhirat.[5] Hassan allegedly told minister M'hamed Boucetta; "these people have humiliated me; they must pay, not with the blow of a revolver, that is quickly done, but slowly, like a bag of sugar in ice water".[29][30] On 13 July, three days after the coup attempt, ten high-ranking officers were executed without trial at El-Menzel shooting range in Rabat for their involvement in the plot.[57] In response to the attack, Hassan pledged to eradicate government corruption, bridge the wealth disparity, improve education, and ensure fair administration and equal justice.[65][62] Lieutenant Mohammed Raïss was sentenced to death for having murdered Captain Boujemaâ Asli, Prince Moulay Abdallah's bodyguard, under the orders of M'hamed Ababou.