DGSN is mourning the death of security officer Abdessalam Tizit, “a martyr of duty.”
Rabat – Judicial police in the northern Moroccan city of Al Hoceima arrested Friday a 28-year-old man suspected of killing a security officer Abdessalam Tiznit while he was performing his duty.
The suspect threw stones at a police vehicle guarding a local prison in Al Hoceima at dawn on June 26 and stabbed Tiznit, who intervened to arrest him, according to the General Directorate of National Security (DGSN).
Tiznit died from his wounds shortly after the attack.
Police officers quickly arrested the suspect, who had been carrying the knife he used in the attack, and put him in custody for further investigation.
تنعي المديرية العامة للأمن الوطني وفاة حارس الأمن عبد السلام تيزيت، شهيد الواجب، الذي كان ضحية جريمة قتل عمد أثناء مزاولته لمهامه بالحسيمة.
وقد قرر المدير العام للأمن الوطني منح ترقية استثنائية للفقيد، في وقت فتح فيه بحث تمهيدي تحت إشراف النيابة العامة مع المتورط في هذه القضية. pic.twitter.com/QAVQtsNEqR— DGSN MAROC (@DGSN_MAROC) June 26, 2020
DGSN condemned the criminal act and emphasized the deceased officer’s “sacrifice” and commitment to his duties.
“DGSN mourns the death of the security guard, Abdessalam Tizit, a martyr of duty, who was the victim of an intentional murder while carrying out his duties in Al-Hoceima,” wrote DGSN on Twitter.
“DGSN decided to grant an exceptional promotion to the deceased, at a time when introductory research was opened under the supervision of the Public Prosecution with the person involved in this case,” the statement added.
Following the ease of the lockdown, crime rates are expected to increase from DGSN’s statistical report in March, which showed a sharp decline in criminal activity while Moroccans faced strict limitations on movement.
Despite crime rates dropping during the state of emergency, several dangerous police interventions in Morocco have recently seen the use of service weapons.
While Moroccan police are generally able to restrain suspects without using force, officers sometimes face situations that require them to withdraw their weapons in order to preserve their own lives and the safety of civilians.
On June 3, a Moroccan police officer in the city of El Kelaa Sraghna, 90 kilometers from Marrakech, withdrew his service weapon without firing it to arrest a man wielding a knife.
The 24-year-old man broke five cars’ windshields, in addition to resisting arrest. This forced a police officer to withdraw his weapon in order to neutralize the young man’s threat and cease his use of the knife.
With several criminal records, the suspect was intoxicated as he brandished the knife, according to DGSN reports.
Two separate incidents occurred in Meknes on May 26.
The first incident led to the arrest of a 17-year-old man who was under the influence of drugs, carrying a knife, and threatening random citizens in the street.
The second incident occurred with a 30-year-old man suspected of vehicle theft refused to comply with police orders and endangered the lives of security officers. According to DGSN, the man has a criminal history of robbery and violence.
No suspects were injured by service weapons during these proceedings.
