Morocco’s Directorate General of National Security (DGSN) has rejected allegations published by the French daily Le Figaro suggesting delays in the investigation into the 2024 disappearance of a French national in Rabat, affirming that its services continue to pursue the case in accordance with legal provisions.
In a statement, the DGSN said the article contained “inaccurate information” and allegations attributed to certain parties involved in the case, claiming that investigators had been slow to act and had failed to respond to requests from the missing person’s family. The security authority stressed that these claims do not reflect the reality of the investigation.
Seeking to inform public opinion while respecting the limits imposed by law on ongoing judicial cases, the DGSN outlined the principal lines of inquiry and the field operations, technical analyses, and legal requisitions carried out since the disappearance was reported.
According to the statement, the Rabat Police Prefecture received a report on April 13, 2024 concerning the disappearance of a 29-year-old French national from the apartment he was renting. Initial findings by judicial police officers, assisted by crime scene technicians, found no signs of a criminal offense, noting the absence of forced entry or theft and the presence of the individual’s personal belongings, electronic equipment, and cash at the scene.
Investigations were subsequently intensified to determine whether a crime had occurred. Forensic experts and the National Forensic Science Laboratory inspected both the missing person’s apartment and the residence of an individual who had been with him prior to his disappearance, using advanced technical equipment. DNA samples were collected, but no evidence supporting the hypothesis of criminal activity was found.
The competent public prosecutor later entrusted the investigation to the National Judicial Police Brigade (BNPJ) in Casablanca, which questioned all persons who had been in contact with the missing individual or had communicated with him by phone, resulting in more than 60 interview and interrogation reports. Technical examinations were also conducted on several electronic devices belonging to the individual, without yielding conclusive results.
Investigators retraced the itinerary of cities the missing person had visited in Morocco, including Tetouan and Chefchaouen, traveling to those locations to interview potential witnesses, again without success. The BNPJ, under prosecutorial supervision, also issued dozens of data requests to telecommunications operators, banks, financial institutions, and the Customs and Indirect Taxes Administration concerning the individual’s financial transactions, communications, and a foreign-registered vehicle he had used during his stay.
Through international security cooperation channels and with prosecutorial authorization, additional requests were made to trace possible financial transfers abroad, which produced findings consistent with earlier investigations.
Refuting claims reported by Le Figaro, the DGSN stated that the missing person’s family had been received on more than five occasions at the headquarters of the Regional Judicial Police Brigade in Rabat, informed of developments in the case, and returned their son’s personal belongings in accordance with official procedures ordered by the public prosecutor.
The authority added that the National Judicial Police Brigade had responded to all requests from the French liaison officer in Morocco, including tips received by the missing person’s father suggesting sightings in several cities such as Casablanca, Mohammedia, Ifrane, Azrou, Khenifra, and Fez, as well as mountainous areas of the High Atlas. Six search teams were dispatched, including one that conducted field investigations for more than three weeks in the High Atlas. Checks later revealed that individuals initially suspected of being the missing person were unrelated persons of French, Estonian, and Moroccan nationalities.
An urgent nationwide search notice was also circulated to National Security and Royal Gendarmerie services, extending to hospitals and psychiatric clinics, but without results. Testimonies gathered during the investigation indicated that the missing individual had been suffering from serious psychological difficulties.
Addressing another claim raised by the French newspaper regarding possible religious radicalization, the DGSN said inquiries conducted in coordination with the Directorate General for Territorial Surveillance (DGST) found no evidence of extremist links on Moroccan territory.
While denying what it described as false allegations and clarifying the scope of the investigative measures taken, the DGSN emphasized that the BNPJ’s inquiry remains open and ongoing under legal supervision, noting that the most recent judicial procedure in the case was carried out on January 20, 2026.
