Zakariya Rahali has been internationally wanted for over six years by the Norwegian police. Now he has been arrested and charged with attempted murder.
Published: 02/04/2024 15:46
– We have received information from the Moroccan police that a 29-year-old Norwegian-Moroccan man who has been internationally wanted for over six years has been arrested in Morocco, says police attorney Nora Pedersen in Kripos.
Aftenposten is confirmed by Moroccan police that it is 29-year-old Zakariya Rahali who has been arrested and charged.
Pedersen from Kripos says that the 29-year-old has been arrested in connection with a Moroccan case.
Aftenposten is informed that since December he has been charged with attempted murder. This is said to have happened in a cafe in Tangier.
According to Moroccan media, Rahali is said to have confessed to what he is accused of during interrogation. It also includes forming a criminal group.
Rahali’s Norwegian defender, lawyer Øyvind Bratlien, does not want to comment on the arrest on Tuesday.
also read
Background: Zakariya Rahali has been wanted for six years. The tracks end at a luxury hotel in Morocco.
Kripos: Central backer
In Norway, the 29-year-old from Oslo is charged with serious drug offences. He has been singled out as the leader of a Norwegian-Moroccan criminal network which over several years is said to have imported large quantities of drugs into Norway.
– Kripos believes he is a central mastermind within organized crime, says Pedersen.
He has been sentenced several times in Norway, most recently in 2017. When the case was due for appeal, he did not appear.
– He has evaded punishment by fleeing Norway, says Pedersen.
After this, Rahali was internationally wanted. Today, there is no extradition agreement between Norway and Morocco.
– It is therefore not relevant to have the accused extradited to Norway. However, we have good cooperation with the Moroccan police and we are now investigating the possibility of traveling to Morocco to carry out some more investigative steps.
The Norwegian police’s evidence against Rahali is largely based on messages from the Sky ECC cryptophone. In Norway, he is charged with having smuggled over 5.7 tonnes of cannabis and 250 kg of cocaine.
