Morocco prosecutor rejects ‘inaccurate’ accounts of Al Hoceima shootout

Morocco’s Al Hoceima prosecutor’s office on Tuesday rejected accounts circulating on social media about Monday’s deadly security operation, saying two alleged associates of the main suspect were arrested and a firearm and drone were seized.

The prosecutor said judicial police arrested the main suspect, who had been wanted under several national arrest warrants, after an exchange of gunfire during an operation to apprehend him.

Two other people allegedly linked to the same criminal gang were subsequently arrested after seeking treatment at a private clinic, where they were placed under police guard, according to a statement from the prosecutor general at the Al Hoceima Court of Appeal.

The prosecutor said the two individuals had attempted to intervene during the operation, arriving in two vehicles and allegedly firing a hunting rifle toward police officers in an effort to prevent the arrest.

Authorities seized the firearm allegedly used by the main suspect, along with a drone, the statement said.

The main suspect was also wounded in the leg after police used their service weapons in what the prosecutor described as an act of self-defense. He was taken to hospital for treatment and remains under police guard.

The prosecutor’s office said the main suspect was wanted in connection with suspected drug trafficking, forming a criminal gang, organizing illegal migration and attempted murder using a firearm.

The statement also rejected what it described as inaccurate information circulating on social media, accusing some users of deliberately presenting the incident outside the context of an operation to combat crime.

The prosecutor’s office said judicial investigations remain underway and that the necessary legal measures would be taken once they are completed.

Monday’s operation resulted in the death of a police officer and injuries to two gendarmes and a civilian, according to the prosecutor’s statement.