Attempted Murder and Assault on a Civil Protection Officer During Rescue Operation near Beni Mellal
On Friday evening, the municipality of Ouled Youssef in the Beni Mellal region witnessed a serious incident when a man in his forties detained a Civil Protection officer atop a water tank, assaulted him, and attempted to murder him while the officer was trying to persuade him to end a sit-in that had lasted over 15 days.
The protester, who is demanding an investigation into the death of his deceased father, a retired soldier, refused to descend and held the rescuer captive for several hours. Under pressure and threats, and after suffering physical assault, the Civil Protection officer was forced to jump from the top of the tank, necessitating urgent transport to the hospital, with no accurate updates on his health condition available so far.
Local sources reported that the protester also threw stones at members of the Royal Gendarmerie and the Civil Protection from the top of the tank, escalating tensions and complicating the situation on the ground.
The incident prompted local authorities and Royal Gendarmerie services to respond, leading to a large gathering of local residents at the scene amid an atmosphere of heightened anxiety.
As of now, the protester remains holed up atop the tank, awaiting further intervention to resolve this complicated situation.
Authorities are expected to initiate a judicial investigation to uncover the circumstances surrounding the detention and assault of the public force member.
