Morocco: Spain extradites a Polisario Front activist demanded by Rabat

Moroccan security forces at work at Mohammed-V airport in Casablanca, July 15, 2020 (illustrative image) © AP - Abdeljalil Bounhar

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The Spanish authorities extradited, Tuesday, November 16, an activist of the Polisario Front to Rabat.

This is Faisal al-Bahloul, accused by the Moroccan authorities of " 

 " and of having killed a police officer in 2010. Morocco and Spain are linked by security agreements and judicial systems which allow the extradition of persons requested by the courts.

The Moroccan press claims that he was arrested upon his arrival at Mohammed-V airport in Casablanca.

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Fayçal al-Bahloul is in the process of being questioned in Casablanca for his alleged role in the

, which took place in October 2010. Gdeim Izik is the name of an encampment of Sahrawis who protested against their living conditions . 

The dismantling of their camp in the city of Laâyoune, capital of Western Sahara, resulted in the death of seven Moroccan police officers and the injury of 70 others.

It is in this case that Faisal al-Bahloul was claimed by Moroccan justice, while he was in Spain.

In 2017, 23 Sahrawis were sentenced in this case to terms varying between 20 years and life imprisonment. 

Spain arrested Faisal al-Bahloul at the end of March 2021 during a security operation in the Basque region.

Madrid considers him to be an extremist who " 

 ". 

On his Facebook page, he called for the killing of Moroccan civilians, and in his YouTube posts, he addressed young Sahrawis as an imam and calling for violence.

These calls were sometimes condemned within the

.

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• Morocco

• Spain

• Terrorism