Rabat: Moroccan security agents have tackled a man who broke though security and ran toward King Mohammed VI as he and Pope Francis greeted crowds during an in-tandem motorcade parade in the Moroccan capital on Saturday.
The man didn’t reach the king, who seemed not to notice the disturbance. The man appeared to be waving an envelope as he tried to snake his way between the motorcade vehicles before being tackled. His fate was unknown.
The incident occurred as the king was escorting Francis to the Hassan Tower complex for a formal welcome ceremony.
Francis is in Morocco for a quick trip to boost Christian-Muslim ties and show solidarity with the country's growing migrant community.
Francis praised Morocco's efforts to promote an Islam that repudiates extremism as he opened a quick trip to the North African kingdom that has tried to distinguish itself as a beacon of religious tolerance and moderation in the Muslim world.
In a speech to the king and Moroccan authorities at the Hassan Tower complex, Francis said it was ‘essential’ for all believers to counter religious fanaticism and extremism with solidarity. He called religious extremism ‘an offence against religion and against God himself.’
The Moroccan capital stepped up security ahead of the first papal visit to the country since John Paul II in 1985.
Buildings were repainted, streets decorated and lawns manicured for the pope's two-day visit.
Pope and King Mohammed declared Jerusalem the ‘common patrimony of humanity and especially the followers of the three monotheistic religions.’
