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Rabat – Moroccan police in the city of Meknes arrested on June 16 a 27-year-old man for his alleged involvement in a case of kidnapping and indecent assault against a minor.
The suspect used violence to take the 14-year-old girl to an isolated place in the Borj Moulay Omar district in Meknes, where he kidnapped her and “brutally assaulted her,” a statement from the General Directorate of National Security (DGSN) said on Wednesday.
Investigations enabled police to identify the suspect and led to his arrest.
Police put the suspect in custody for further investigation to determine the circumstances of the case and to determine his involvement in the criminal acts.
The assault took place as uproar continues due to the sexual assault case of Ikram, a six-year-old girl allegedly raped by a suspect in his 40s in the Tata province.
The case made national headlines after a court released the suspect provisionally after Ikram’s parents allegedly withdrew their complaint.
Moroccans launched a petition to condemn the release, and the residents of the region rallied against the move in the streets.
A judge again ordered the detention of the alleged rapist.
Under Morocco’s penal code, the suspect might face up to 20 years in prison if convicted of raping a minor.
Articles 486 and 488 of Morocco’s Criminal Code state that rape or attempted rape of children under the age of 18 is punishable with 10 to 20 years in prison.
Several recent pedophilia cases have caused outrage on social media, including the case of a Kuwaiti man accused of raping a 14-year-old girl in Marrakech last year.
The man fled Morocco to avoid a court sentence in February 2020 after a court ordered his provisional release earlier this year.
In May 2020, police arrested arrested a pediatrician suspected of raping and exploiting minors in the city of Temara, 14.9 kilometers from Rabat.
