French kidnappings suspect arrested in Morocco, police source says
RABAT - A French-Moroccan man suspected of being involved in recent violent kidnappings in France has been arrested in Morocco, a senior Moroccan police source said on Wednesday.
French Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin thanked Morocco for the arrest in a post on X.
The 24-year-old man named by the Moroccan police source as Bajjou Badiss Mohamed Amine was subject to an Interpol red notice and wanted by France on charges including organised crime, kidnapping, ransom demand and detention of a hostage.
The police source said that since Bajjou is a dual national, he will not be extradited and will be tried in Morocco under the charges he is facing in France.
The police source added Moroccan authorities received from French counterparts details of the charges so that the man can face justice in Morocco.
The Paris prosecutor's office did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Ties between Morocco and France have improved in recent months, including on judicial and security cooperation, after Paris tilted towards backing Rabat's position on the Western Sahara conflict. REUTERS
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But she noted: 'There still remains a lot to be done in terms of addressing issues such as checking and stopping source pollution, integrating ecosystem preservation and restoration, and ensuring financial and institutional wherewithal for maintenance of clean-ups.' 'A data-led approach which helps identify the sources of pollution, strong enforcement of pollution control, integrating nature-based solutions to manage water quality and enabling community ownership and stewardship of rivers are essential to the long-term success of clean-up efforts,' she added. Test case in Delhi A test case for whether river rejuvenation can happen with riverfront development is in the capital city. The Delhi government, which like Gujarat's is led by Mr Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party, has promised a Sabarmati type riverfront makeover along the Yamuna R iver. Plans include creating a central piazza, topiary park, shopping centre and river promenade along a 22km stretch of the river. The Yamuna flows through multiple states, with the stretch in Delhi among its most polluted. Between 2017 and 2022, the Delhi government spent more than 68 billion rupees (S$1 billion) to clean the Yamuna, but it still has high levels of pollutants from untreated sewage and industrial waste. The Delhi government recently announced a 30-point action plan to clean the river which includes building 40 sewage treatment plants. For residents, a riverfront to go to for a stroll or a cruise down the river is an attractive proposition. 'It would be great to have a riverfront,' said Ms Rit u Sharma, a Delhi resident, who added that she would love to take a walk along the riverfront. 'But I hope they can clean the pollution too.' Nirmala Ganapathy is India bureau chief at The Straits Times. She is based in New Delhi and writes about India's foreign policy and politics. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
