1971 Moroccan coup attempt

The 1971 Moroccan coup attempt or the Skhirat coup d'état (Arabic: محاولة انقلاب الصخيرات, Skhirat attempted coup d'état) was an unsuccessful attempt by rebel military leaders to assassinate King Hassan II of Morocco on 10 July 1971, the day of his forty-second birthday. It was the first of half a dozen other attempted coup d'état during the king's regime.

Lieutenant-colonel M'hamed Ababou with, and under the orders of General Mohamed Medbouh, were the main instigators of the attack on Hassan II's summer palace in Skhirat on the Atlantic coast, about 20 kilometres (12 mi) south of Rabat, and ordered the seizing of several key places in Rabat in order to establish a republic. The main motive was the unveiling of several occurrences of corruption inside the Moroccan government and royal family.

At the time, Medbouh was head of the Royal Military Household and commander of the Moroccan Royal Guard.

In April 1971 Medbouh went to the United States for medical treatment. He was also officially charged by Hassan II to prepare his visit to Washington D.C. from April 22nd to 27th, but was secretly told he had to conduct negotiations about secret US military bases in Morocco who pay a rent directly into the royal coffers.

There, he also investigated why Pan American World Airways had decided against building an Intercontinental Hotel in Casablanca. In California, Medbouh discovered the reason: William P. Rogers, Secretary of State had received a file, from his friend the president of the Pan American World Airways, containing photocopies of letters from Morocco. The company had been asked by Moroccan government officials for sizable "commissions". Indeed, a cleric close to Hassan II, Ben Messaoud, had the forgetfulness to write in black and white: "Should also pay 600 million to the king."

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