French crypto kidnappings suspect arrested in Morocco, says source
Moroccan authorities have arrested a French-Moroccan man suspected of involvement in recent kidnappings in France targeting individuals with crypto wealth, a source with knowledge of the arrest said on Wednesday.
French justice minister Gerald Darmanin thanked Morocco for the arrest in a post on X, without giving further details of the charges or incidents.
The 24-year-old man, named by a separate Moroccan police source as Badiss Mohamed Amide Bajjou, was subject to an Interpol red notice and wanted by France on charges including participation in organised crime, kidnapping and extortion.
The police source said that since Bajjou is a dual national, he will not be extradited and will be tried in Morocco on the charges he is facing in France.
French authorities had passed details of the charges to Moroccan counterparts so that the man can face justice in Morocco, the source added.
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Daily Maverick
a day ago
- Daily Maverick
Jacob Zuma's future looks rocky as court trial looms and MK woes heat up
The National Prosecuting Authority wants to get Jacob Zuma in the dock without further delay, and the former president must also contend with his political party once again being in turmoil. Hours after the High Court in Pietermaritzburg this week dismissed Jacob Zuma's application to have the Arms Deal charges against him thrown out, the former president held a media briefing to announce that his uMkhonto Wesizwe (MK) party had once again fired a secretary-general. This time, Floyd Shivambu was shown the door. The long-running Arms Deal case involving Zuma and French arms company Thales is set to proceed after Judge Nkosinathi Chili dismissed the two parties' application, which had been brought on the basis that they wouldn't receive a fair trial because the case had dragged on for decades and two witnesses, former Thales directors, had died. The judge said he was not persuaded by their arguments. National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Mthunzi Mhaga said the organisation had long believed that this was a 'rehearsed application' and felt vindicated by Judge Chili's decision. The NPA will now apply for the court to begin hearing evidence after the trial resumes in December, regardless of whether Zuma appeals against the decision. 'We hope that there will be no more interlocutory applications that will have an undesirable impact or effect of delaying the trial,' said Mhaga. 'We hope it resumes without any further delays.' Zuma and Thales face charges including corruption, racketeering, money laundering and fraud related to the 1999 Arms Deal. Zuma is accused of receiving payments totalling R4.1-million between 1995 and 2004 from his former financial adviser, Schabir Shaik, and his companies, allegedly to promote Thales' interests. Zuma has repeatedly challenged elements of the case, particularly the involvement of prosecutor Billy Downer, which has led to significant delays. Shivambu's axing Meanwhile, the revolving doors at Zuma's MK party, which he banded together from disgruntled members of the ANC, EFF and IFP, continue to spin. This latest decision to remove former EFF deputy president Floyd Shivambu from his position as secretary-general of the MK party leaves a key position vacant as the 2026 local government elections draw nearer. The role of the secretary-general in many a local political party is seen as crucial and powerful as this person is tasked with overseeing day-to-day operations and ensuring the smooth running of its internal machinery. In MK this position is now vacant after Shivambu recently visited fugitive pastor and self-proclaimed prophet Shepherd Bushiri in Malawi. The Enlightened Christian Gathering Church founder faces more than 350 criminal charges in South Africa including fraud, money laundering, racketeering and rape. Shivambu, who will be deployed to Parliament, insisted on an interview on SABC last week Zuma himself had approved the trip, but this was denied. Even now, Shivambu's reasons for the trip remain unclear. The visit violated MK's constitution, national chairperson Nkosinathi Nhleko said earlier this week. Some senior members of the party have argued that removing Shivambu was a calculated strategic decision. Others believe it was driven by tribal loyalties, and perhaps most significantly, some view it as part of a succession battle in the MK party. In his influential positions, first as national organiser and then as secretary-general of MK, Shivambu amassed considerable control over key aspects of the party, including political education, governance, building structures and party finances. His rise was increasingly seen as an attempt to position himself as a future MK leader, which some believe threatened the influence of the party's founders. Who will Zuma appoint? The search is now on for MK's next secretary-general – the party's sixth one since its formation in December 2023. According to MK's constitution, Zuma as party president has the prerogative to hire and fire its leaders at will. An insider said: 'It all boils down to what Nxamalala [Zuma] decides.' Daily Maverick understands from sources in the MK party that internal lobbying for the position is taking place. The names of one of the party's founding members, Phumlani Mfeka, and spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela are among those going round as Shivambu's potential successors. Daily Maverick understands that in the past two weeks, Zuma has had meetings with both Mfeka and Ndhlela. Prior to the meetings, Zuma met allied traditional leaders, who expressed their views on who should take over the reins, endorsing Mfeka. Mfeka is a member of the Injeje yabeNguni Council, a traditional leadership body. Earlier this year, he resigned from both MK and his position in the KwaZulu-Natal legislature, citing a deviation from the party's founding principles and the sidelining of traditional leadership structures. Prior to his involvement with the MK party, Mfeka was associated with a Pan-Africanist civic group. He later endorsed the Mazibuye African Congress, a pro-Zuma political party. Mfeka was already receiving 'special treatment' as per Zuma's instructions, a source said. Traditional leader Prince Khulekani Dlomo said amakhosi (chiefs) hoped that talk of Mfeka's appointment would become a reality. 'We are in prayers as amakhosi for these murmurs to become a reality. We would be thankful if such a position was taken up by someone with royal blood.' Beyond Mfeka's roots, Dlomo said he was the man for the job, praising his character and commitment to traditional leadership. 'It would bring about much stability and respect in various structures and communities… He is a bright child, a very truthful and principled young man.' But, equally, there is a strong push to have Ndhlela, the nephew of former South African Revenue Service (SARS) commissioner Tom Moyane, take up the position. In 2016, amaBhungane broke a story revealing that a company controlled by Ndhlela had won a R2.2-billion tax collection contract from SARS that could net him around R220-million. Ndhlela has been MK's only national spokesperson since the party's launch. Considering the regular reshuffling, resignations and sackings taking place in MK, this is quite an achievement. For example, the positions of secretary-general and treasurer-general have been occupied by eight individuals in the space of a year. This has all taken place without MK ever holding an elective conference or explaining the party's decisions to its constituency. 'More damage than good' Some party members have welcomed Shivambu's axing. 'All of us are relieved at how things have played out. I think it's safe to say the biggest battle has been won,' one MK insider said. In September 2024, Shivambu led the party's municipal campaign in ward 33 in eThekwini, his first as a national organiser. It should have been a shoo-in for MK in an area where the DA was failing and the ANC was basically dead. The MK party had won more than 45% of the vote in KwaZulu-Natal in May last year, but Shivambu's efforts fell flat as its share of the vote dropped significantly in the by-election. Though MK has improved its votes in several other by-elections, it has struggled to maintain the momentum of the 2024 general elections. The insider said of Shivambu's time as a leader in the party: 'He did a lot more damage than good. We were bleeding people in KZN who are not used to that kind of leadership style. Come elections, we are confident that we will be able to recover lost ground.' Patrick Sindane, a former MK party member who chose to leave, dismissed claims that Shivambu's removal was a strategic decision, as some have suggested. Reflecting on his time in the party as someone with EFF roots, Sindane offered a blistering account of MK's internal dynamics on Radio 702. 'We were still associated and identified as EFF members and life is extremely difficult for you in MK if you come from the EFF, I can tell you from my own experiences,' he said. Whenever those who had defected from the EFF made suggestions about how the party ought to be run, they would be accused of 'bringing an EFF mentality, trying to hijack the organisation, and wanting to take over the organisation'. An MK party source said Zuma was particularly unimpressed with Shivambu's conduct, but feared getting rid of him as this might bring about more instability ahead of the local elections. This led to his redeployment to Parliament. 'It is not a strategic move. The only reason he gets to stay is to try to find some stability and work towards the local government elections, but beyond that, his days are numbered,' the source said. Tough times ahead As Shivambu prepares to make a comeback in Parliament, difficult times await him, particularly because the MK party is led in the house by John Hlophe, with whom he is rumoured not to be on good terms. He will also have to work with the likes of Ndhlela and Zuma's daughter Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, who are said to be part of a faction that believes high-profile members who came from the EFF and ANC and were parachuted into senior positions, including Shivambu, Dali Mpofu, Mzwanele Manyi and Willies Mchunu, are destroying what the 'December 2023 crew' had started. On one occasion, Zuma-Sambudla publicly insulted Shivambu, calling him 'useless' and 'the worst thing that happened to MK'. She was later forcedto apologise. Shivambu will also work closely with Colleen Makhubele, who was recently appointed as MK's chief whip. Though Shivambu is more seasoned in parliamentary affairs, Makhubele holds seniority in rank and now occupies one of the top leadership roles in the party's caucus. Before her parliamentary debut, Makhubele led the South African Rainbow Alliance, a fledgling political outfit she had founded in the run-up to the 2024 elections. Despite bold ambitions, it barely made a dent at the polls, securing only 12,450 votes nationwide – a mere 0.03% – and later joined the chorus of voices alleging the elections had been rigged. Beyond these challenges, Shivambu's return also carries the burden of unresolved tensions with former EFF colleagues and the need to prove his political relevance beyond his time in the red berets. His comeback could also revive old rivalries. DM This story first appeared in our weekly DM168 newspaper, available countrywide for R35.
eNCA
2 days ago
- eNCA
France opens 'complicity in genocide' probes over blocked Gaza aid
PARIS - French anti-terror prosecutors have opened probes into "complicity in genocide" and "incitement to genocide" after French-Israelis allegedly blocked aid intended for war-torn Gaza last year, they said on Friday. The two investigations, opened after legal complaints, were also to look into possible "complicity in crimes against humanity" between January and May 2024, the anti-terror prosecutor's office (PNAT) said. They are the first known probes in France to be looking into alleged violations of international law in Gaza, several sources with knowledge of the cases told AFP. In a separate case made public on the same day, the grandmother of two children with French nationality who were killed in an Israeli strike in Gaza has filed a legal complaint in Paris, accusing Israel of "genocide" and "murder", her lawyer said. The French judiciary has jurisdiction when French citizens are involved in such cases. Rights groups, lawyers and some Israeli historians have described the Gaza war as "genocide". Israel, created in the aftermath of the Nazi Holocaust of Jews during World War II, vehemently rejects the accusation. The French probes were opened after two separate legal complaints. In the first, the Jewish French Union for Peace (UFJP) and a French-Palestinian victim filed a complaint in November targeting alleged French members of hardline pro-Israel groups "Israel is forever" and "Tzav-9". It accused them of "physically" preventing the passage of trucks at border checkpoints controlled by the Israeli army. Lawyers for the plaintiffs, Damia Taharraoui and Marion Lafouge, told AFP they were happy a probe had been launched into the events in January 2024 -- "a time when no-one wanted to hear anything about genocide". A source close to the case said prosecutors last month urged the investigation in relation to events at the Nitzana crossing point between Egypt and Israel, and the Kerem Shalom crossing from Israel into Gaza. Around that time, hardline Israeli protesters -- including friends and relatives of hostages held in Gaza -- blocked aid lorries from entering the occupied Palestinian territory and forced them to turn back at Kerem Shalom. A second complaint from a group called the Lawyers for Justice in the Middle East (CAPJO) accused members of "Israel is forever" of having blocked aid trucks. It used photos, videos and public statements to back up its complaint. - 'Genocide' complaint - No court has so far concluded that the ongoing conflict is a genocide. But in rulings in January, March and May 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the United Nations' highest judicial organ, told Israel to do everything possible to "prevent" acts of genocide during its military operations in Gaza, including through allowing in urgently needed aid. In the separate case, Jacqueline Rivault, the grandmother of six- and nine-year-old children killed in an Israeli strike, filed her complaint accusing Israel of "genocide" and "murder" with the crimes against humanity section of the Court of Paris, lawyer Arie Alimi said. Though formally against unnamed parties, the complaint explicitly targets Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli government and the military. The complaint states that an Israeli missile strike killed Janna, six, and Abderrahim Abudaher, nine, in northern Gaza on 24 October, 2023. "We believe these children are dead as part of a deliberate organised policy targeting the whole of Gaza's population with a possible genocidal intent," Alimi said. The children's brother Omar, now five, was severely wounded but still lives in Gaza with their mother, identified as Yasmine Z., the complaint said. A French court in 2019 convicted Yasmine Z. in absentia of having funded a "terrorist" group over giving money in Gaza to members of Palestinian militant groups Hamas and the Islamic Jihad. - Famine warnings - Israel said last month it was easing the complete blockade of Gaza it imposed on 2 March but on 30 May the United Nations said the territory's entire population of more than two million people remained at risk of famine. AFP | - A US-backed aid group last week began distributions but reports that the Israeli military shot dead dozens of Palestinians trying to collect food has sparked widespread condemnation. The UN and major aid organisations have refused to cooperate with the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Fund, citing concerns that it was designed to cater to Israeli military objectives. Hamas fighters launched an attack on Israel on 7 October 2023. A total of 1,218 people died, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. The militants abducted 251 hostages, 55 of whom remain in Gaza, including 32 the Israeli military says are dead. Israel's retaliatory war on Hamas-run Gaza has killed 54,677 people, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry there, figures the United Nations deems reliable. The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants against Netanyahu and former Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. It also issued an arrest warrant for Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif over similar allegations linked to the 7 October attack but the case against him was dropped in February after confirmation Israel had killed him. By Julia Pavesi, Guillaume Daudin And Alice Hackman
The Citizen
3 days ago
- The Citizen
French grandmother files ‘genocide' complaint over Gaza killings
France's crimes against humanity court receives a complaint over an Israeli strike that killed two French-Palestinian children in Gaza. The grandmother of two children with French nationality killed in an Israeli strike in Gaza has filed a legal complaint in Paris, accusing Israel of 'genocide' and 'murder', her lawyer said Friday. Jacqueline Rivault filed her complaint with the 'crimes against humanity' section of the Court of Paris, lawyer Arie Alimi said. Rivault hopes the fact her daughter's children, aged six and nine, were French citizens means the country's judiciary will decide it has jurisdiction to designate a magistrate to investigate the allegations. Rights groups, lawyers and some Israeli historians have described the Gaza war as 'genocide'. But Israel, created in the aftermath of the Nazi Holocaust of Jews during World War II, vehemently rejects the explosive term. The complaint states that 'two F16 missiles fired by the Israeli army' killed Janna, six, and Abderrahim Abudaher, nine, in northern Gaza on October 24, 2023. They and their family had sought refuge in another home 'between Faluja and Beit Lahia' after leaving their own two days earlier due to heavy bombardment, the 48-page document stated. ALSO READ: WATCH: 'ICJ case never came up' in meeting with Trump, says Ramaphosa One missile entered 'through the roof and the second directly into the room where the family was', it said. Abderrahim was killed instantly, while his sister Janna died shortly after being taken to hospital. The complaint argues the 'genocide' allegation is based on the air strike being part of a larger Israeli project to 'eliminate the Palestinian population and submit it to living conditions of a nature to entail the destruction of their group'. Though formally against unnamed parties, the complaint explicitly targets Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli government and the military. Mother convicted The children's brother Omar was severely wounded but still lives in Gaza with their mother, identified as Yasmine Z., the complaint said. A French court in 2019 convicted Yasmine Z. in absentia of having funded a 'terrorist' group over distributing money in Gaza to members of Palestinian militant groups Hamas and the Islamic Jihad. Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. ALSO READ: Gazan twin brothers' Cannes film mourns a Gaza lost to war Militants abducted 251 hostages, 55 of whom remain in Gaza, including 32 the Israeli military says are dead. Israel's retaliatory offensive in Hamas-run Gaza has killed 54,677 people, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry there, figures the United Nations deems reliable. No court has so far ruled the ongoing conflict is a genocide. But in rulings in January, March and May 2024, the International Court of Justice, the United Nations' highest judicial organ, told Israel to do everything possible to 'prevent' acts of genocide during its military operations in Gaza. The International Criminal Court has issued arrests against Netanyahu and ex-defence minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. It also issued an arrest warrant for Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif over allegations of crimes against humanity and war crimes in the October 7 attack, but the case against him was dropped in February after confirmation Israel had killed him. ICC prosecutor Karim Khan initially sought warrants against Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar and Ismail Haniyeh as well, but dropped those applications after their deaths in Israeli attacks. NOW READ: Israel launches expanded Gaza offensive aimed at defeating Hamas – By: © Agence France-Presse
