According to a statement from moroccan police -Direction générale de la Sûreté nationale (DGSN)- the suspect is a 24-year-old French national. He was arrested on the basis of an international arrest warrant issued through Interpol at the request of the French judicial authorities.
His arrest by la Brigade nationale de la police judiciaire (BNPJ) followed an identity check that revealed his alleged involvement in a case involving theft, kidnapping, unlawful confinement, and homicide committed at a hotel in Paris in 2024.
A search carried out as part of the investigation led to the seizure of a quantity of cannabis resin and an electronic scale. The operation also resulted in the arrest of two other individuals, aged 27 and 35, who are suspected of trafficking narcotic and psychotropic substances.
In November 2025, the suspect’s 37-year-old brother, who was also wanted in connection with the same homicide at the Paris hotel, was arrested in Rabat. He, too, was the subject of an Interpol notice.
The story of Manu, the 64-year-old disabled night watchman
It was the night of June 21–22, 2024. Paris was alive with the celebrations of the Fête de la Musique, while millions of French viewers were watching national football team « Les Bleus » take on the Netherlands at the UEFA European Championship. After what appeared to be a lengthy and carefully planned reconnaissance operation, four hooded individuals arrived at the “Nouvel France” social hotel in Paris’s 11th arrondissement, just a short walk from Place de la Bastille. Their target was the hotel safe containing the establishment’s takings, although they had reportedly been told by accomplices that it contained gold bars.
Their first move was to storm the night watchman’s booth. Emmanuel Becat was 64 years old. A former firefighter, he was 90% disabled and suffered from Diogenes syndrome, a behavioral disorder characterized by extreme self-neglect, social isolation, and compulsive hoarding. Known as “Manu” throughout the neighborhood, he was tied up with rope and electrical wire. When police discovered his body in the guardhouse, he was still bound hand and foot and bore signs of violence. Investigators also found several empty bottles of paint thinner at the scene, apparently used to erase traces left by the burglars.
The four burglars then attempted to load the hotel safe into their van but failed to do so. Panicking, they abandoned it in the street and fled. Witnesses later reported that the suspects had also abandoned their vehicle near Place de la Nation before escaping by metro.
A former police officer and a former soldier arrested
Since the investigation began, French authorities have arrested two suspects on French soil: a former police officer with an extensive criminal record and a former soldier implicated in several criminal cases. Both have been placed in pretrial detention, and the courts have rejected their repeated requests for release.
With the arrests of the two remaining suspects, the brothers apprehended in Morocco in November 2025 and, most recently, on Wednesday, the case may finally be nearing resolution.
Written in French by Rahim Sefrioui, edited in English by Amina Kadiri
