Marrakech – Moroccan authorities have detained two Israeli nationals at Mohammed V International Airport in Casablanca in separate incidents last week, both arrested upon arrival based on international arrest warrants issued through Interpol.
A Forex fraudster
According to the Hebrew news outlet Mako, the first case involves an Israeli businessman known to Israel’s Lahav 433 police unit, who was arrested after landing in Casablanca from Dubai where he had been vacationing with his two young children.
The arrest stemmed from an international warrant issued by German authorities, who suspect him of orchestrating a massive Forex fraud scheme that allegedly defrauded thousands of German citizens out of tens of millions of euros.
“He was shocked when presented with the international warrant issued against him by Interpol. They had been working on his case for several years and waited for the moment he left Dubai to close in on him,” said a Moroccan source involved in the arrest.
“The Germans brought a prepared extradition case and surrounded him from all directions. I estimate he will be extradited within days,” they added.
The businessman is suspected of renting large office spaces in central Israel and several Eastern European cities about three years ago. There, he allegedly employed dozens of workers who posed as investment company owners and scammed German citizens who wanted to invest their money, only to discover one day that they had lost everything.
Israeli police had previously investigated the businessman, with Lahav 433 investigators repeatedly requesting court orders to seize his assets worth tens of millions of shekels, including a villa in Herzliya Pituach valued at approximately 25 million shekels ($6.7 million).
While Israeli investigators couldn’t gather sufficient evidence for an indictment, German law enforcement authorities reportedly obtained evidence implicating him in one of the largest Forex fraud schemes in Germany.
“When the Germans issue an international arrest warrant, it happens only after they have solid evidence. They won’t make fools of themselves,” said a police officer quoted in the report.
“Quite a few Israelis have been involved in Forex fraud in Germany, and most were extradited, sentenced to lengthy prison terms, and ordered to pay compensation to victims. I believe he will spend many years in prison and pay substantial damages,” they continued.
The businessman is currently being held in a detention facility in Rabat, Morocco’s capital, where he will fight his extradition to Germany. Moroccan law enforcement authorities reportedly plan to contact Israeli police in the coming days to obtain additional materials and documents to substantiate the charges against him.
A vacationer caught red-handed
In the second case, a resident of a town in Israel’s Sharon region was arrested at Casablanca airport after arriving for vacation. The Israeli-French dual citizen was detained based on an international arrest warrant issued by Interpol following a complaint filed in France.
The suspect is allegedly involved in the extortion and kidnapping of a relative that supposedly occurred in Israel. The victim, who recently moved to France, filed a complaint with French authorities claiming he was kidnapped and extorted in Israel and forced to pay €200,000.
Following the complaint, French police opened an investigation and contacted Interpol, which issued an international arrest warrant against the suspect. Unaware that he was wanted, the man was arrested immediately upon landing in Casablanca and transferred to a detention facility in Rabat that holds foreign citizens pending extradition or deportation.
The Israeli citizen has denied the allegations, but French authorities have built a case against him that includes the victim’s complaint and additional testimony. The Rabat court is expected to consider the extradition request to France in the coming days.
“He came for a vacation in Morocco and was surprised when they handcuffed him like a criminal. He didn’t understand what they wanted from him,” said a source familiar with the case details.
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