Israel Seeks Extradition from Morocco of Suspect in 2021 Nazareth Bombing

Despite the lack of an extradition agreement between Israel and Morocco, the Moroccan judiciary is said to have approved this request from the Israeli authorities, which is awaiting validation by the Ministry of Justice, reports the media Ynetnews cited by LeDesk, noting that this is a first since the normalization of relations between the two countries in December 2020 under the Abraham Accords.

Nassim Khalibat, arrested in Rabat in January, is a resident of Basmat Tab’un who fled his country in March 2022, after causing an explosion in a facility under the Ministry of Health in Nazareth on November 8, 2021, with the help of his brother and a friend. The latter were apprehended and tried before the Nazareth District Court, the same source specifies.

Khalibat denies the facts attributed to him and claims his innocence. For health reasons, he has requested to be tried before a court in his country. Pending his extradition, he is being held in the Salé prison. The accused is said to have complained to his family about poor detention conditions and not having received a visit from the Israeli consul in Morocco, Dorit Reuveni, since his incarceration.