Rabat – Morocco’s national police apprehended today a 31-year man suspected of physically assaulting a female Italian tourist using a knife in Tiznit, in southern Morocco.
Based on initial investigations, the suspect lives in a state of homelessness in the city of Tiznit, according to an official statement from Morocco’s General Directorate of National Security (DGSN).
The statement further specifies that the suspect had assaulted the 51-year-old woman using a hand-made cleaver. The assault caused the woman to sustain two non-lethal injuries on her back.
The injuries caused the victim to be immediately hospitalised to receive proper medical attention before she was discharged from the hospital.
After apprehending the suspect, police reports say that he will remain in custody for the duration of the initial investigation conducted by the general prosecutor’s office.
The initial investigation seeks to further uncover the motives and the circumstances of the assault, as well as pin down its exact nature.
In addition, the investigation will examine the mental and health state of the suspect, the report concludes.
The incident comes months after Morocco’s national police force arrested a man in the same city, Tiznit, for killing one tourist and assaulting two others.
DGSN said in a statement that they arrested the suspect after examining footage from a surveillance camera showing the culprit stabbing the victim before escaping.
The victim in the incident was a 79-year-old, French woman. Police reports said at the time that the motive behind the murder was robbery.
The second victim was a Belgian national, who was transferred to a hospital to receive medical attention.
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