Broad boulevards are unimpeded by traffic in the new district, called Kangbashi new Area. Office buildings stand vacant. Pedestrians are in short supply.

"We were supporting different experiments, including a feature where people in the building could sign up to get a discount at a burger place on the first floor," Barris explains.

The incident took place during Friday prayers at the Bab al-Baradeen mosque in Meknes, a town in northern Morocco located 140 km (87 miles) southeast of Rabat.