Casablanca’s Shadow: Unmasking Morocco’s Most Notorious Serial Rapist

The downfall of this civil servant, who would have benefited from a certain protection, was caused by a series of circumstances in 1992. An Italian-Moroccan man accidentally discovered a video in Milan in which he recognized his own sister, a victim of an assault. Tracing the trail back to Casablanca, he initiated the steps that ultimately led to the commissioner’s arrest.

The investigation revealed an organized system. Mohamed Tabet used rented apartments or vehicles to commit his crimes. He systematically recorded the assaults, which sometimes targeted several women from the same family, including mothers and their daughters. In total, 118 video tapes of his crimes were discovered by the investigators.

The profile of Tabet, then 54 years old, deeply shocked Moroccan public opinion. He was perceived as an exemplary commissioner: he did not drink, did not smoke and prayed regularly. Originally from Beni Mellal, this former Arabic teacher had himself known prison on false accusations before joining the police, a path that made his crimes all the more stunning.

On March 15, 1993, the court found Mohamed Mustapha Tabet guilty of raping 518 women, including 20 minors. Sentenced to death, he was executed on September 5 of the same year, putting an end to one of the darkest cases in the kingdom.