Moroccan Kickboxer Released on Parole in Antwerp Kidnapping Case

Arrested in early July, Ben Saddik is suspected of having participated in the sequestration of an employee of the Port of Antwerp who allegedly failed to fulfill his commitments in a drug trafficking case. The athlete and his alleged accomplices are said to have held the victim captive for a certain period of time.

Accused of illegal deprivation of liberty with death threats, possession of prohibited weapons, and participation in a criminal organization, the 33-year-old Moroccan maintains his innocence. After several weeks behind bars, he had obtained to serve his detention at home under electronic surveillance.

The council chamber had recently decided to lift this measure and release him under certain conditions, a decision contested by the public prosecutor’s office. The indictment chamber has ultimately ruled in favor of the kickboxer, who is now free but under certain restrictions.

In a message posted on his Instagram account, the kickboxer is outraged by the lies of certain media in this case: "This week, the judge rejected the appeal of the Belgian prosecutor and lifted my detention. My name does not appear in the file. This was already clear at the first hearing. The information relayed by the media is incorrect and gives a very erroneous image of the facts. This is not journalism, but a deliberate desire to distort reality. The serious accusations described by the Gazet van Antwerpen do not appear in any file. Yet this newspaper continues to repeat them. They accept that this is false and causes harm, as long as it sells. Justice will prevail, and I am now fully focused on my preparation. In Sha Allah, you will see me back in the ring soon."