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Abdellatif Hammouchi

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Abdellatif Hammouchi
عبد اللطيف حموشي
Director of the DGST
Incumbent
Assumed office
15 December 2005[1]
Preceded byAhmed Harrari
Advisor to Mohammed VI on counter-terrorism
Incumbent
Assumed office
1999
Personal details
Born1966 (age 57–58)
Taza, Morocco

Abdellatif Hammouchi (Arabic: عبد اللطيف حموشي; born 1966 in Taza, Morocco) is the head of the Moroccan national police directorate, the General Directorate for National Security or DGST (French: Direction Générale de la Sureté Nationale) as well as head of secret services, the General Directorate for Territorial Surveillance or DGST (Formerly known as the DST, French: Direction de surveillance du territoire).[2]

He is also an advisor to Mohammed VI on terrorism-related affairs.

Early life

He graduated from the University of Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah in Fes and joined the police as an officer in 1993.[1] After Hamidou Laanigri left the DST a day after the Casablanca bombings of 16 May 2003 and was appointed as the Director of the General Directorate for National Security, he was replaced by his deputy Ahmed Harrari, who was replaced by Hammouchi in December 2005.[1]

Controversies

On 20 February 2014, while Hammouchi was attending a meeting with French officials in Paris, he was summoned by a French judge to testify on torture cases after multiple complaints by torture victims, such as Zakaria Moumni, against him and his organisation.[3][4][5] His name has been often cited in connection to secret detention centres in Morocco such as the Temara interrogation centre and the Ain Aouda secret prison. The crisis between Morocco and France ended in February 2015, when the French government honored Abdellatif Hammouchi with the National Order of Merit at the rank of Officer of the Legion of Honor. This decoration was presented by Bernard Cazeneuve, the Minister of the Interior.[6] On November 29, 2016, he was chosen as the Person of the Year by Maroc Hebdo International, recognizing his efforts in the field of security and his significant influence in essential and vital roles.[7][8]

In Morocco, lawsuits against the DST and Hammouchi in connection to the death of detainees under torture have been rejected for lack of evidence.[9]

In April 2011, Moroccan journalist Rachid Niny was imprisoned after he published sensitive details about Hammouchi.[10] In 2011, he received an Alaouite Wissam decoration from Mohammed VI in recognition of his efforts for maintaining security.[11]

Security Cooperation

On June 3, 2024, Abdellatif Hammouchi, the Director General of National Security and Territorial Surveillance, received Vittorio Pisani, the Director General of the Italian National Police, in Rabat. This meeting was part of an official visit to the Kingdom of Morocco by a significant Italian security delegation. The visit underscored the commitment of both countries to enhance their security cooperation, particularly given the increasing security challenges faced by nations at both regional and international levels. The collaboration aims to exchange information and expertise, coordinate efforts to combat organized crime and terrorism, and ensure security and stability in both the Kingdom of Morocco and the Republic of Italy.[12][13][14]

From June 24 to June 26, 2024, Abdellatif Hammouchi, the Director General of National Security and Territorial Surveillance, conducted a working visit to the Federal Republic of Germany. During this visit, he met with officials from both the Federal Police and the Federal Criminal Police Office to discuss ways to enhance bilateral cooperation in various security fields, particularly in combating terrorism, transnational organized crime, and ensuring the security of major sporting events.[15][16]

Decorations

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Maghress : DGST : Abdellatif Hammouchi remplace Ahmed Harrari". Aujourd'hui le Maroc. 16 December 2005. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
  2. ^ Driss Bennani; Mohamed Boudarham (24 September 2011). "Enquête. L'homme le plus secret du royaume". Telquel. Archived from the original on 26 February 2014. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
  3. ^ "Zakaria Moumni a déposé plainte contre le patron de la DST marocaine". Demain Online. 21 February 2014. Archived from the original on 26 February 2014. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
  4. ^ "Une ONG demande l'audition d'Abdellatif Hammouchi en visite en France". Demain Online. 21 February 2014. Archived from the original on 26 February 2014. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
  5. ^ Aziz El Yaakoubi; Patrick Markey (2 February 2014). "Morocco summons French ambassador over torture lawsuit". Reuters. Retrieved 23 February 2014.[dead link‍]
  6. ^ "France to award Moroccan intelligence chief Legion d'honneur after row". Al Arabiya English. 2015-02-14. Retrieved 2024-06-07.
  7. ^ Bouzdaini, Wissam El. "Abdellatif Hammouchi, l'homme de l'année 2016". Maroc Hebdo (in French). Retrieved 2024-06-07.
  8. ^ "Abdellatif Hammouchi, DG de la DGST et de la DGSN, choisi "Homme de l'année 2016" par Maroc Hebdo International". MAP Express (in French). Retrieved 2024-06-07.
  9. ^ "Le tribunal rejette la plainte de Mejjati". Les Ecos. 17 February 2010. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
  10. ^ Ali Lmrabet (28 April 2011). "Rachid Niny placé en garde à vue". Demain Online. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
  11. ^ Ali Anouzla (15 August 2011). "Paradoxes ramadanesques". Lakome.com. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
  12. ^ MASAITI, Amira EL (2024-06-03). "Morocco's Top Police Chief Holds Talks with Italian Public Security". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. Retrieved 2024-06-07.
  13. ^ "Security representatives from Morocco and Italy hold meeting". International Security Journal. 2024-06-04. Retrieved 2024-06-07.
  14. ^ Taibi, FADLI; Technology, Archos (2024-01-17). "Morocco's Top Police Chief Holds Talks with Italian Public Security DG". MapNews (in French). Retrieved 2024-06-07.
  15. ^ Taibi, FADLI; Technology, Archos (2024-06-20). "Morocco, Germany Set to Strengthen Security Cooperation". MapNews (in French). Retrieved 2024-06-27.
  16. ^ Fern&aacute, Enrique (2024-06-27). "Morocco analyses German security at Euro 2024". Atalayar. Retrieved 2024-06-27.
  17. ^ "Abdellatif Hammouchi : Portrait d'un insaisissable homme de l'ombre". Médias24 (in French). 2014-10-23. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  18. ^ "Abdellatif Hammouchi bientôt promu Officier de la Légion d'honneur". Médias 24 (in French). 2016-01-15. Retrieved 2022-11-22.
  19. ^ "España premia al jefe policial de Marruecos con la máxima distinción de la Guardia Civil". El Faro de Ceuta. 23 September 2019.
  20. ^ Ministerio del Interior: "Real Decreto 549/2019, de 20 de septiembre, por el que se concede la Gran Cruz de la Orden del Mérito de la Guardia Civil al Director General de la Dirección General de Seguridad del Territorio de Marruecos y Director General de la Policía Nacional de Marruecos, señor Abdellatif Hammouchi" (PDF). Boletín Oficial del Estado (228): 104787. 23 September 2019. ISSN 0212-033X.
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