Marrakesh shooting leaves one dead, two wounded

One man was shot dead and two others were wounded in a tourist area of Marrakesh, authorities in Morocco said early on Friday morning.

The attack appeared to be a local settling of scores, authorities said.

Two attackers wearing balaclavas shot the victim at a cafe in the town, which is a popular destination for foreign visitors. The man died instantly after being shot in the head.

The two assailants also injured two other people in a hail of bullets before they fled on a motorbike.

Initial investigations indicate that the dead man was specifically targeted, authorities said. Morocco's head of government said on Twitter that two people had already been arrested.

The attack raised concerns among Moroccans and social media users around the world, who initially believed that the shooting had been perpetrated by a terrorist group.

Morocco has been spared deadly extremist attacks since a 2011 bombing in Marrakesh's famed Jamaa El Fna Square that killed 17 people, mainly European tourists.

But in recent months, authorities have regularly announced the dismantling of IS cells and arrests of suspected militant recruiters.