Hotel Owner in Morocco Holds Officials Hostage Over Wedding Ban Dispute

The events took place earlier this week near the Stihat beach, a seaside resort in northern Morocco. To celebrate their union, a lawyer and a legal expert invited families and friends to a hotel in the small town.

The arrival of the Caïd and the law enforcement officers did not seem to please the owner, who violently expressed his refusal of the closure decision. The exchanges became very stormy, and the owner then decided to lock the hotel doors and take the law enforcement officers hostage.

A brigade of the Royal Gendarmerie was sent to the scene to free the hostages and arrest the hotel manager and his accountant. They were prosecuted for violating the state of health emergency, kidnapping and assaulting a law enforcement officer.