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Tantan – Moroccan police announced on Friday that they arrested the main suspect involved in a viral video showing a young child being pushed to drink alcohol.
The General Directorate of National Security (DGSN) said officers from the National Judicial Police Brigade arrested the suspect after receiving intelligence from Morocco’s domestic intelligence agency, the DGST.
The video spread widely on social media in recent days, sparking outrage across Morocco. The footage appears to show two adult men encouraging a young boy to consume a substance suspected to be an alcoholic drink while one of them films the scene.
Police said authorities treated the case with “great seriousness” immediately after the video began circulating online. Investigators identified the suspects and arrested one of them during an operation carried out in El Khssassma Malin El Oued area near the city of Benslimane, in coordination with the Royal Gendarmerie.
According to preliminary findings, the two suspects are brothers, and the child seen in the video is the six-year-old son of their third brother. Police said one suspect has been arrested while the second brother has been fully identified and is being sought by authorities.
Read also: Outrage in Morocco After Video Shows Young Boy Forced to Drink Alcohol
The suspect currently in custody is under judicial investigation supervised by the competent public prosecutor’s office. Authorities said the investigation aims to determine all the circumstances surrounding the incident, establish when it happened, and identify everyone involved.
The video triggered widespread anger and condemnation on Moroccan social media, with many users describing the footage as abusive and deeply disturbing. Child protection activists and human rights organizations also reacted strongly, calling for accountability and stronger protection for children online.
The association Matqissch Weldi, “Don’t Touch My Child” in Arabic, condemned the incident and described the video as a serious violation of children’s rights. The organization said the child’s physical and psychological well-being had been endangered and called for those responsible to face legal consequences.
The group urged judicial authorities and cybercrime units to conduct a full investigation and warned against sharing the video further because of the harm it could cause the child.
The National Human Rights Council (CNDH) also expressed concern over the case. CNDH President Amina Bouayach condemned both the treatment of the child and the filming and circulation of the video online.
Bouayach stated that showing the child’s face and identity online could worsen the psychological damage and expose him to stigma, bullying, and humiliation. She called on media pages and social media users to stop reposting the footage without hiding the child’s identity.
She also urged prosecutors to take urgent measures to protect the child and ensure that his rights and dignity remain a priority throughout the legal process.
