RABAT (Reuters) - A Moroccan lawmaker was shot dead in front of his home on Tuesday night in Casablanca in what appeared to be a personal dispute.

Abdellatif Mirdas, 53, member of parliament for the liberal Constitutional Union Party, was shot three times in his car, according to a police statement carried by MAP state news agency.

A 27-year-old man suspected of being linked to the murder was arrested, the statement said. It said he had threatened Mirdas over a “personal dispute of a private nature”.

Mirdas’ party condemned the killing.

Almost five months after elections in October, Morocco is caught in a political deadlock between its Islamist party prime minister and coalition partners over the formation of a new government he will lead.

(This version of the story was refiled to fix dateline to RABAT, no change to text)</s>A Moroccan Member of Parliament representing the Constitutional Union has been shot to death with a riffle in front of his residence in Casablanca . Abdellatif Merdass, an MP for the opposition Constitutional Union, was gunned down outside his home in Casablanca , Abdellah Ferdous told Anadolu Agency.

Start the conversation, or Read more at The Oak Ridge Observer.</s>Rabat - A Moroccan parliamentarian has been shot dead in Casablanca, local media reported Wednesday.

Abdellatif Merdas was gunned down late Tuesday near his home in the well-off southern district of Californie.

The 53-year-old was in his official car when he was hit three times by shotgun fire, private news websites reported.

They showed photos of the scene and the car with broken windows.

Merdas was a member of the liberal Constitutional Union (UC) party, representing the Ben Ahmed district 60km south of Casablanca.

Shootings are rare in Morocco, where there are few illegal firearms.

By Wednesday morning, the authorities had not commented on the incident.</s>RABAT: A Moroccan parliamentarian has been shot dead in Casablanca, local media reported on Wednesday.

Abdellatif Merdas was gunned down late Tuesday near his home in the well-off southern district of Californie.

The 53-year-old was in his official car when he was hit three times by shotgun fire, private news websites reported. Hit in the head, he succumbed to his injuries shortly afterwards.

Local news websites showed photos of the scene and a car with broken windows, surrounded by police officers. They said one or more attackers fled in a foreign-registered vehicle.

Moroccan police said on Wednesday that a suspect had been arrested.

“This individual with a criminal record is suspected of an alleged link to the armed homicide that killed a Member of Parliament Tuesday night,” said a statement carried by the official MAP agency.

Merdas was a member of the liberal Constitutional Union (UC) party, representing the Ben Ahmed district 60 kilometres south of Casablanca.

Shootings are rare in Morocco, where there are few illegal firearms, although knife attacks and petty crime are more common.</s>RABAT, March 8 (Reuters) - A Moroccan lawmaker was shot and killed in front of his home on Tuesday night in Casablanca, according to a statement from his political party and local media.

Security officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment on motivations. It was not clear whether the lawmaker had been targetted specifically but killings of political figures in Morocco are rare.

The victim, Abdellatif Mirdas, 53, parliamentary member of the liberal Constitutional Union Party representing the Settat district, was returning to his home in Casablanca when he was shot in his car, according to reports in local media.

"The Constitutional Union denounces this despicable criminal act against one of our leaders," the party said in a statement, adding it hopes an investigation will reveal the perpetrators of the "crime."

An individual with a judicial record suspected of being connected to the murder has been arrested, according to a statement from the General Directorate of National Security released on MAP state news agency.

Almost five months after elections in October, Morocco is caught in a political deadlock between its Islamist party prime minister and coalition partners over the formation of a new government he will lead. (Reporting by Samia Errazzouki; editing by Patrick Markey)</s>RABAT, March 8 (Reuters) - A Moroccan lawmaker was shot dead in front of his home on Tuesday night in Casablanca in what appeared to be a personal dispute.

Abdellatif Mirdas, 53, member of parliament for the liberal Constitutional Union Party, was shot three times in his car, according to a police statement carried by MAP state news agency.

A 27-year-old man suspected of being linked to the murder was arrested, the statement said. It said he had threatened Mirdas over a "personal dispute of a private nature".

Almost five months after elections in October, Morocco is caught in a political deadlock between its Islamist party prime minister and coalition partners over the formation of a new government he will lead. (Reporting by Samia Errazzouki; Editing by Patrick Markey and Alison Williams)</s>Moroccan police say a suspect has been arrested after member of Constitutional Union party is gunned down near his home.

Abdellatif Merdas, a Moroccan member of parliament, has been shot dead in Casablanca, according to police. 

 

The 53-year-old, a politician with the liberal Constitutional Union party, was gunned down late on Tuesday near his home in the well-off southern district of Californie.

 

His assassins fled the scene, but police said on Wednesday they had arrested a 27-year-old man suspected of links to the assault.

A raid on the suspect's home came up with two shotguns similar to the one used in the attack, police said. 

 

The assault is believed to be criminally motivated. 

 

Initial investigations suggest that the suspect had previously threatened Merdas with death due to alleged personal differences, police said.

Merdas, who represented the Ben Ahmed district 60km south of the coastal city of Casablanca, was in his official car when he was hit three times by shotgun fire, private news websites reported.

Hit in the head, he succumbed to his wouds shortly afterwards.

Local news websites showed photos of the scene and a car with broken windows, surrounded by police officers.

 

They said one or more attackers fled in a foreign-registered vehicle.</s>
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In honour of Tubular Tuesday we just had to jump onto Alex Gray’s ridiculous Moroccan moment. North Africa was cooking last week!

 Video By: Yassine Belhouari
Abdellatif Midras, a member of the Moroccan Parliament, is shot dead in Casablanca.