Morocco police arrest man over fatal shooting of woman in Oujda

Moroccan police have arrested a 58-year-old man suspected of fatally shooting a woman with a hunting rifle in the northeastern city of Oujda, authorities said.

Officers from the Oujda Provincial Judicial Police Department, working with National Security services in nearby Nador, arrested the suspect early Monday, Sept. 7, according to a security source.

The arrest followed the discovery Sunday evening of the body of a 40-year-old woman in Oujda. She had suffered two gunshot wounds, and ballistic examinations determined that the shots were fired from a hunting rifle.

Investigators identified the suspect and arrested him in Nador as he was preparing to leave Morocco, the security source said.

Identification procedures showed that he is a Moroccan citizen living abroad. Police also found two spent shotgun shells in his possession that are suspected of having been used in the shooting.

Preliminary findings indicate that the suspect and the victim had previously been in a relationship. Investigators said the two met Sunday evening in Oujda’s Al Jorf neighborhood before the shooting.

The circumstances and motive remain under investigation.

The suspect was placed in police custody pending further investigation under the supervision of the competent public prosecutor’s office. The inquiry is aimed at establishing the circumstances, motive and other details surrounding the case.