فاس نيوز ميديا جريدة الكترونية جهوية تعنى بشؤون و أخبار جهة فاس مكناس – متجددة على مدار الساعة
March 26, 2025 – French authorities arrested Allal El Mourabit, a Spanish national of Moroccan origin, on Tuesday in Béziers, southern France. The suspect is accused of murdering three farmers in Spain between late 2023 and early 2024. Following a dramatic arrest, he has been extradited to Spain to face justice.
El Mourabit, previously convicted in 2018 by Spain’s National Court to two-and-a-half years in prison for attempting to join the Islamic State (ISIS) in Syria, was later tried in 2020 for jihadist indoctrination via social media but was acquitted. At the time, he was under supervised release with an electronic monitoring bracelet. In September 2023, just weeks before his first alleged murder, he vanished from the Basque Country after removing the device.
Spanish investigators have ruled out a jihadist motive for the killings. El Mourabit is currently the prime suspect in three homicides committed in Tudela and Ribaforada (Navarre) and Vilanova de la Barca (Segrià) between November 2023 and January 2024. A European Arrest Warrant for triple homicide was issued against him on March 21, 2024.
— Invadidos (@invadidos_com) March 26, 2025
#ÚLTIMAHORA | La Policía francesa entrega a las autoridades españolas al asesino en serie y terrorista marroquí que asesinó a tres agricultores en Navarra y Cataluña en 2023 y 2024, el cual estaba en busca y captura, y fue detenido este pasado martes en Béziers, Francia. pic.twitter.com/DQZuGkTmSc
The series of brutal murders began on November 22, 2023, when an farmer was fatally attacked with a machete in Tudela, Navarre. On December 21, an 80-year-old farmer was found dead in Ribaforada, Navarre, under similar circumstances. The third victim, an 84-year-old man, was killed on January 5, 2024, in Vilanova de la Barca, Catalonia.
The investigation involved a joint effort between Spain’s Guardia Civil, Catalonia’s Mossos d’Esquadra, and the Spanish National Police, culminating in El Mourabit’s arrest in France after months on the run.
El Mourabit was apprehended in the Faubourg district of Béziers, approximately 280 kilometers from the Spanish border. The arrest was tumultuous, with the fugitive fiercely resisting capture. French police were forced to deploy a stun gun to subdue him, resulting in injuries to three officers.
Two Opel Corsa cars provided critical links between the murders. One vehicle, stolen from the second victim in Ribaforada, was found near the final crime scene in Vilanova de la Barca. The second car, taken from the third victim, was used by El Mourabit to flee to France via Andorra. Authorities later located this vehicle in Béziers, aiding in his capture.
Forensic analysis of the vehicles and crime scenes yielded epithelial cells, enabling police to construct El Mourabit’s genetic profile and confirm his identity. Security camera footage from rural areas he frequented further solidified the case against him.
El Mourabit’s history of extremism dates back to 2014 when he was detected in Turkey, allegedly attempting to cross into Syria. According to reports, he posted on one of his eight Facebook profiles: “Does anyone know how to contact ISIS or Al-Nusra Front?” In July 2016, he was intercepted 30 kilometers from the Syrian border and deported to Spain. Later that year, while working as a truck driver, he was arrested in Irun, Gipuzkoa, driving a heavy truck amid fears he planned a terrorist attack. Manuscripts with jihadist content were found in the vehicle.
Sources close to the investigation, cited by El Pais, describe El Mourabit as a drifter with no known occupation, living a nomadic lifestyle in both Spain and France. He now awaits trial under the jurisdiction of the Court of First Instance and Instruction No. 3 in Tudela, which is overseeing the case.
This arrest marks the end of a high-stakes manhunt and brings hope for justice to the victims’ families. As the legal process unfolds, Spain and France’s collaborative efforts underscore the importance of international cooperation in combating cross-border crime.
from: fesnews
