Five Moroccans held for ‘hailing’ envoy’s murder

Youth members of PM’s party ‘cheered’ killing of Russians

RABAT // Morocco arrested five youth members of the premier’s party who allegedly celebrated the murder last week of the Russian ambassador to Turkey.

Authorities arrested the five from the youth movement of prime minister Abdelilah Benkirane’s Justice and Development Party (PJD), a source said, after the assassination of Andrei Karlov on December 19.

The Akhbar Al-Yaoum daily reported that a sixth person was questioned. The PJD, whose leader has been given the task of forming a new governing coalition after winning parliamentary polls in October, had yet to comment on the arrests.

But the head of the party’s law- yer association, Abdessamad Al Idrissi, said he would be defending those detained. Under Moroccan law, the crime of justifying terrorist acts can be punished by up to six years in prison and more than US$19,000 (Dh70,000) in fines.

On December 22, the justice and interior ministries said they were opening an investigation after a group of people “clearly celebrated on social media the assassination of the Russian ambassador in Turkey”. This month, Mr Benkirane caused a diplomatic stir by criticising Russia’s military intervention in Syria in support of president Bashar Al Assad’s government.

After Moscow’s envoy in Rabat expressed concern over the comments, Morocco’s foreign ministry criticised the premier’s remarks and said it respected Russia’s role in Syria.