Tags: Morocco, Abdellatif El Hammouchi, DGSN, DGED, Fouad Ali El Himma, hacker Jabaroot,
Abdellatif Hammouchi, a prominent figure in the Moroccan security services, has just suffered one of the worst setbacks of his career. His personal data has been hacked and his assets exposed to the public. A public slap that raises a disturbing question: how can this man, now discredited, still claim to embody the security of the Cherifian kingdom?
Under the pen of Ignacio Cembrero, El Confidencial titles: « Morocco: the regime’s ‘Mr. Taps’ Hammouchi hacked, his data and assets revealed ».
The shock is immense: Mohamed Raji, 65, number two of the DGST, a service combining counter-espionage and political police, has had his private life exposed on the Telegram channel Jabaroot.
Considered the architect of the acquisition and use of the Pegasus spyware, Raji has for three decades led the surveillance of opponents, journalists, but also Algerian officials and European leaders such as Emmanuel Macron and Pedro Sánchez.
The hacking has laid bare compromising documents: a copy of his identity card, bank statements, his monthly salary (€2,378), as well as property titles for industrial units in Beni Mellal valued at €2.86 million. Some documents hint at hidden commissions received during the purchase of espionage equipment.
Close to Hammouchi and directly commissioned by King Mohammed VI, Raji embodied one of the pillars of the repressive apparatus. For many observers, these revelations are « a blade planted in the heart of the Moroccan security system » and could be just the first wave of leaks.
Hypotheses are accumulating: revenge from former deserting agents (38 confirmed departures in 2022-2023), retaliation from a foreign intelligence service targeted by Pegasus, or the hand of Mehdy Hijaouy, former number two of the DGED, now a refugee in Europe.
Whatever the origin, the humiliation is total. Hammouchi’s fate now seems uncertain: the man who dreamed of being a « kingmaker » could be brutally removed in the coming days, as Mohammed VI’s declining health is already fueling speculation about his succession.
Ignacio Cembrero, himself targeted by a makhzenian caricature accusing him of being manipulated by Algiers, reacted with irony on Twitter: « Algiers doesn’t need such low maneuvers. The Makhzen, on the other hand, loves them. »
In any case, this affair undermines the Moroccan narrative touting its supposed excellence in the fight against terrorism and regional security. Hammouchi, already targeted by multiple complaints for torture and arbitrary detention, emerges from this scandal humiliated, weakened, and more isolated than ever.
The local press, affiliated with the Makhzen by the force of DGST’s repression, tries to piece things back together by praising the alleged merits of the DGST and its boss, El Hammouchi. This is proof that they are, perhaps not mortally, but severely affected by the attacks of the hacker Jabaroot and his campaign against corruption.