The General Directorate of National Security (DGNS) in Morocco has officially refuted the allegations published by the British newspaper Daily Mail regarding the supposed "arrest" of a British citizen. In a statement released to clarify the situation, the DGNS noted that it had reviewed an article published on the newspaper's website, which contained a series of inaccuracies and misleading claims concerning the circumstances surrounding the investigation of the British national while he was in Morocco.
Among the erroneous claims cited in the article, which quoted the mother of the individual involved, was the assertion that the police had arrested him due to his alleged distribution of food aid to children. Furthermore, it was mistakenly reported that following his arrest, he was imprisoned and prohibited from communicating with his family. The DGNS stressed that it takes these allegations seriously and aims to enlighten both the national and international public opinion regarding the matter. It confirmed that all claims related to the "arrest" of the mentioned British citizen and his "deprivation of freedom and detention in a cell" are unfounded and lack any basis in reality.
The statement highlighted that the National Security services also categorically denied the assertions made regarding the reasons for the investigation, which suggested that the individual was engaging in charitable work by distributing assistance to the needy. The DGNS clarified that the investigation was prompted by the British citizen's involvement in a criminal act as defined by Moroccan law, specifically the unauthorized photographing and broadcasting of images of individuals, including minors who are legally protected due to their personal data.
In compliance with the directives of the competent public prosecutor, the British citizen, who violated judicial procedures, was subjected to judicial investigation without being placed in custody, before being presented before the judiciary in a state of release, with a court date established for his trial in accordance with national legislation. The statement also noted that elements of the tourism police in Marrakech had apprehended the individual following reports from citizens, as he was in the process of recording and broadcasting digital content in the historic Jemaa el-Fnaa square, which involved filming vulnerable individuals, the majority of whom were minors, without their consent or that of their guardians, all under the pretext of distributing food aid.
Following the notification of the competent public prosecutor regarding the incident, instructions were issued to subject the individual to a judicial investigation, with his phone being made available for analysis by a digital evidence laboratory to extract any digital content that may contain incriminating elements. Throughout the investigation, he was granted all legal guarantees.
As reported by hespress.com.
