Morocco’s director-general of national security and domestic intelligence has granted a posthumous promotion to a police officer who died after being shot during an operation to arrest a wanted suspect in the northern city of Imzouren, authorities said Monday.
Police officer Hamza Zaam, who served with the anti-gang unit of the Regional Security Directorate in Al Hoceima, was fatally wounded by a hunting-rifle shot while participating in the operation, according to the General Directorate of National Security.
The operation was carried out jointly by the Al Hoceima anti-gang unit and a Royal Gendarmerie team seeking to arrest a 25-year-old man wanted under 20 national arrest warrants for alleged involvement in serious crimes, including drug offenses, attempted intentional homicide, criminal gang activity, unlawful detention and violence.
During the intervention in Imzouren, the suspect allegedly put up violent resistance and fired a hunting rifle at members of the National Security and Royal Gendarmerie.
The gunfire struck Zaam and a door-opening technician. Zaam died from his injuries while being transported to a hospital, while the technician was wounded, authorities said.
Security forces subsequently neutralized the threat and arrested the suspect.
The suspect has been placed under judicial investigation ordered by the competent public prosecutor’s office.
The investigation is aimed at establishing the circumstances of the incident, determining the criminal acts allegedly committed by the suspect and examining any links to networks involved in the illicit trafficking of drugs and psychotropic substances and violent crime.
The posthumous promotion was described by the National Security Directorate as recognition of the officer as a “martyr of duty” for his service during the operation.
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