Moroccan Killed in Malta to Be Repatriated as Family and Friends Say Goodbye
A final kiss on the coffin, prayers and deep emotion. On Wednesday, October 7, Malta’s Moroccan community gathered to pay tribute to 31-year-old Abdellatif Oumakhlouf, who was killed a few days earlier. His body is now to be returned to his family in Morocco.
Outside the morgue at Mater Dei Hospital in Malta, Abdellatif Oumakhlouf’s uncle approaches the coffin and kisses it. Around him, the young Moroccan’s friends, colleagues and several members of the Moroccan community have gathered for a final prayer. The poignant scene was photographed on Wednesday, October 7, by the daily MaltaToday, ahead of the repatriation of his body to Morocco.
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The emotion is especially strong among his colleagues at Attard Brothers, the construction company that employed him. “We have lost a member of our family,” a company representative said. Abdellatif had left Morocco to work on the Mediterranean island and support his family financially. A friend remembers him as a generous man, free of malice, who above all wanted to help his family.
His uncle, meanwhile, struggles to find the words. He describes a quiet young man who never looked for trouble. He also thanks those who rallied since Abdellatif went missing, enabling the family, still in Morocco, to finally arrange for his return.
A final journey to Morocco
The effort was led in particular by Dounia Borg, president of the Moroccan community in Malta. At the ceremony, she praised the support provided by Abdellatif’s friends, Moroccans living on the island and Moroccan diplomatic representatives in Rome, who assisted with the repatriation arrangements.
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Abdellatif had been found dead on September 27 in a garden in St Julian’s, after an altercation in the early hours of the morning. A 27-year-old Polish tourist has since been charged in connection with his death. He denies the accusations and remains in custody pending further proceedings.
According to MaltaToday, the young Moroccan’s body is expected to arrive in Morocco on Friday, October 9, where his parents and relatives are waiting to finally bury him.
