Moroccan Man Faces Trial in Belgium for Wife’s Brutal Stabbing Death

The facts date back to February 10, 2019. Mokhtar Ammari had murdered his wife in an apartment in Fléron, reports Belga. A family member of the victim had discovered the lifeless body of Fatima Khayer in the evening, lying in a pool of blood. Alerted, the ambulance crew had gone to the crime scene where they had apprehended Mokhtar Ammari. He had tried to commit suicide by ingesting ammonia and gasoline. The medical examiner, who autopsied Fatima Khayer’s remains, found 23 knife wounds on the victim’s body, including 10 in the abdomen, five in the back and three in the neck. Mokhtar would have killed his wife late in the morning on February 10, 2019.

The couple had married in Morocco before settling in Belgium where Mokhtar has lived for more than 40 years. Their married life was not a long quiet river. They often argued. The religious approach was not the same. After their divorce in 2012 for administrative and financial reasons, they still lived together. Fatima Khayer had wanted to separate from Mokhtar Ammari. Without success. She feared his reactions. Her companion is described as a jealous and suspicious man. He had several times threatened to kill her.

On Wednesday, Mokhtar Ammari’s trial will open. Lawyers Philippe Zevenne and Alexandre Wilmotte will be responsible for his defense. He already disputes the premeditation of the facts. "Mokhtar Ammari was accustomed to life in Belgium. His wife practiced religion in a more rigorous way. Several conflicts opposed the couple who had more and more difficulty tolerating each other. The facts occurred in the context of a dispute," says Zevenne.