CASABLANCA, Morocco (AP) — Casablanca has always had a seedy underbelly. Now a spike in violent crime has ignited a public outcry, a debate in parliament and an order from Morocco’s king himself to crush this “menace.”

Photos posted on Facebook show muscular young Moroccan men, often tattooed, with elaborate haircuts, pricey athletic shoes and expensive mobile phones wielding huge cleavers. In the past few months, there’s been a rise in muggings by these young men riding souped-up motorbikes.

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