Two Young Men Falsely Accused of Killing 83-Year-Old Woman in Spain
In Spain, two young men from Moroccan and Algerian families were falsely identified as the killers of an 83-year-old woman. Their photographs spread widely on social media, accompanied by racist insults. The victims are demanding justice.
Youssef Abraoui, 29, is sleeping peacefully at home in Manresa, near Barcelona. He has just finished his shift as a taxi driver and put his phone in airplane mode. A neighbor eventually rings his doorbell to wake him. His family is desperately trying to reach him: his photo is circulating online, where he is accused of killing an elderly woman in Burgos. “Look, look, you killed a woman in Burgos,” relatives write to him, reports El País.
It all began on Saturday, October 17, when an internet user posted photographs of two young men, presenting them as the perpetrators of the murder of Rosario Sánchez, 83, who was found dead after an assault at her home in Burgos. The user gave them false identities. Several Spanish far-right accounts repeated the accusations. The original post received more than a million views.
The other victim of this manipulation is Ahmed Benyahia. The 20-year-old student from Barcelona is visiting a friend’s mother in hospital when he discovers his face linked to the crime. He suffers an anxiety attack. His relatives begin receiving the posts, while strangers circulate insults and threats. On Saturday evening, he goes to the police station to file a complaint.
“They’ve destroyed our lives”
Youssef and Ahmed were both born in Spain, into families of Moroccan and Algerian origin. The two young men do not even know each other. Yet their faces appear side by side in false information shared on X, Instagram, TikTok and WhatsApp.
At Youssef’s home, his sister Salma, a lawyer, begins collecting screenshots of the posts. Their father, a hairdresser, is devastated by the accusation. The outlet El Imperial España eventually takes down its article and acknowledges that it published photographs of two people who had absolutely nothing to do with the case.
Salma publicly denounces the consequences of the posts’ circulation. She is especially worried that a stranger might recognize her brother in the street and attack him. The family plans to file a complaint in Manresa, while Ahmed has already gone to the police in Barcelona.
The two young men eventually got in touch after Ahmed wrote to Salma to find Youssef. “They’ve destroyed our lives. They’re creating hatred and more hatred,” they tell El País. They want those responsible for the false accusation to be held accountable.
