Asrouti's record of hostility to Morocco refutes allegations of links to Moroccan intelligence

RABAT - An informed Moroccan source rejected allegations that Moroccan citizen Youssef El Asrouti, who is detained in Germany, is linked to Moroccan intelligence.

The source asked how Asrouti could provide services to the Moroccan intelligence service, while he openly engaged in anti-Moroccan activities and had on more than one occasion abused King Mohammed VI and announced in a letter dated June 1, 2018, that he was renouncing his Moroccan citizenship.

The same source stressed that Asrouti was known for his anti-royal stances and has always worked to target its symbols and national constants, which constitute a proof of the impossibility of being a collaborator with Moroccan intelligence.

He stressed that the testimonies of those who know Asrouti agree that he was moving within a hostile environment to Morocco, within the framework of a network linked to Algerian intelligence, while informed sources confirmed that his accusation of working with Moroccan intelligence sought to falsify facts and cover up the activity of parties that use him to target the North African Kingdom’s interests and security.

Asrouti has repeatedly revealed his open hostility to Morocco and its territorial integrity by calling for "Rif independence", knowing that the Kingdom does not tolerate in any way those who question its territorial integrity, nor does it cooperate with those who publicly call for the violation of its sovereignty and the separation of part of it, which represents conclusive evidence of the falsity of his claims of collaboration with Moroccan intelligence as not based on any logic.

Asrouti himself admitted to being anti-Moroccan and engaged in activities aimed at tarnishing the Kingdom’s image and insisting on its reputation.

On June 1, 2018, Asrouti published a letter announcing his renunciation of Moroccan nationality and refusing to pledge allegiance to King Mohammed VI, in a new attempt to obtain political asylum.

A Moroccan source confirmed that the letter is known, published and easy to verify, and contains vocabulary hostile to the kingdom, its leadership and its political system.

The Moroccan source wondered whether "Morocco does not find anyone to deal with except someone hostile to it," considering that this fact constitutes additional evidence that the allegations of the family's collaboration with the royal intelligence are unrealistic, pointing out that "countries employ in their services those who are enthusiastic about their countries and their affiliation and are proud of their leadership, not the other way around."

"Although he does not hail from the Rif region, Asrouti is involved in the preparation and implementation of several projects of an inflammatory nature that promote the discourse of the extremist separatist Rif faction at the European level," the source added.

He stressed that Asrouti is known for his activity with extremist Rif circles in Europe, and is a member of the faction known as "Republicans", which is led in Düsseldorf by Jaber Al-Ghadioui, known as "Yuba", who is linked to Algerian intelligence, and previously took part in protests in which slogans were raised against Morocco and its leadership.

He stressed that since the first attempt to deport him by the German authorities to Morocco, Asrouti has significantly escalated his activities, pointing out that he has adopted a hostile stance towards the constants and symbols of the North African Kingdom, by regularly publishing statements affecting the person of King Mohammed VI, while inciting "the independence of Rif."

He added that by escalating his anti-Royal rhetoric, he was seeking to pressure the German administration to withdraw his deportation for fear of the Moroccan authorities' reaction against him due to his hostile stances towards his country of origin, which is further evidence of the impossibility of him being linked to the Moroccan intelligence service.

According to the same source, German authorities arrested Asrouti in March 2018 for his illegal residence and imprisoned him in a refugee center, awaiting deportation to Morocco before being released shortly after he convinced the authorities that he would face some reaction due to his hostile attitudes from Moroccan authorities.

In May 2018, Asrouti requested the assistance of the Moroccan consulate in Düsseldorf to issue him a travel document, at the request of the Federal Police for Foreigners in Cologne, after his asylum application in Germany was rejected and he was subject to forcible deportation by the judicial authorities.

The same source confirmed that Asrouti resisted violently upon arrival at the airport, prompting the police to abandon their attempt to deport him.

He noted that after his deportation to the Netherlands, he applied for asylum with the competent authorities, claiming that he was being prosecuted in Morocco for his work in the "Rif independence case" and that he "faces threats from Moroccan authorities and cannot be deported to Morocco."