By Renee Sang
Rabat – In a recent spotlight by Spanish newspaper El País, the head of the Directorate of National Security (DGSN–DGST), Abdellatif Hammouchi, has been honored for his contributions to maintaining national security.
There are no shortage of anti-terrorism successes that can be attributed to Hammouchi. El País states that Hammouchi is known among Moroccans as “the man who never sleeps” and their best-informed agent, but his contributions are not limited to his own country.
In Europe, Hammouchi played a role in finding the perpetrators of terrorist attacks, specifically in Spain and France. It is due in part to his support that individuals involved in the deadly Barcelona attacks of August 17, 2017, as well as the Paris attacks of November 13, 2015, were found.
Hammouchi has previously been named an officer of the Legion of Honor in France as well as being awarded the Honorary Cross of Police Merit from Spain.
As an advisor to King Mohammed VI in affairs of terrorism and the head of both the DGSN and DGST, two security corps in Morocco, officials in Europe have hoped that he will maintain his position for many years to come. El País, a Spanish publication that recently published an article about him stated, “The security of Europe is linked to cooperation with [him].”
Among Hammouchi’s skills is fluency in Arabic, French, and English, and proficiency in Spanish. Hammouchi has also been cited to have an excellent memory, as “[he] is able to retain and give back the names of hundreds of jihadists,” according to one of the officials who has worked with him.
The official also said Hammouchi has greatly modernized the DGSN with how he trains the members of this security force. Due to his successes and professional handling of anti-terrorism affairs, it is likely that Hammouchi will keep his position for a long time to come.
