Larache police investigate migrant after false claims about Ceuta border

Moroccan police in Larache have opened a judicial investigation into a woman who allegedly made false statements and accusations about the authorities’ handling of the recent mass migration attempt toward Ceuta.

The investigation was launched on instructions from the competent public prosecutor after the woman gave statements to a national news outlet claiming that official authorities had opened the border to migrants, brought them to the area and then abandoned them by preventing them from entering the Spanish-controlled enclave.

The statements were subsequently widely circulated by social media accounts, according to Moroccan authorities.

Police said the allegations were considered serious because they could constitute elements of several offenses under Moroccan law. Investigators identified the woman and questioned her before referring her to judicial authorities on suspicion of reporting crimes she knew had not occurred, spreading false news, defamation and insult.

According to information provided in connection with the case, the woman had voluntarily traveled to the northern city of Fnideq in an attempt to enter Ceuta irregularly.

Her attempt was unsuccessful after Moroccan public security forces intervened to prevent the crossing, authorities said. Police allege that she subsequently made misleading statements claiming that official authorities had organized the movement of migrants and then prevented them from entering Ceuta.

The authorities said the claims were shared widely online without users verifying their accuracy or the circumstances in which they were made.

The investigation comes amid heightened scrutiny of the Moroccan authorities’ response to recent attempts by large numbers of migrants to reach Ceuta from the Moroccan side.

The police account does not establish the broader circumstances surrounding the migration crisis beyond the allegations made by the woman and the authorities’ findings regarding her individual case. The judicial proceedings will determine whether the accusations against her are substantiated.