Judicial police in Settat arrested a man and his wife on Thursday evening, bringing a swift resolution to an investigation into a chaotic incident that unfolded two days earlier at the local headquarters of the Party of Authenticity and Modernity (PAM). The case had rattled political circles in the region, and Thursday’s arrests mark a decisive turn.
Investigators built their case methodically, drawing on hours of surveillance footage captured inside and around the party’s offices, cross-referencing witness statements, and conducting fieldwork coordinated by the provincial judicial police unit. The result was a frame-by-frame reconstruction of events that diverged sharply from the narrative that had initially circulated.
One camera angle shows the man later taken into custody smashing furniture and equipment inside the premises while assaulting staff members who were present. A second, more unsettling sequence captures him in a state of visible agitation, inflicting injuries on himself. It was this footage, investigators say, that prompted them to dig deeper into what had actually happened, rather than accept the incident at face value.
Both the man and his wife were held for questioning by Settat’s provincial judicial police before being referred to the public prosecutor’s office. Prosecutors have charged the pair with intentional assault and with insulting a judicial officer through false accusations, based on evidence gathered over the course of the inquiry.
PAM’s regional office in Berrechid moved early to distance the party from the episode. In a statement issued shortly after the incident, the party firmly denied any involvement by its members or activists in what took place in the Diwan district of Berrechid. It stressed that its dealings with rival candidates and political bodies were governed by mutual respect and responsible democratic competition, and warned that political disagreements should never be used to justify baseless accusations or to prejudge the outcome of an official investigation.
The episode lands in a particularly charged political moment, with legislative elections only weeks away and tensions around party offices carrying outsized symbolic weight. Judicial authorities are expected to determine the next steps in the proceedings in the coming days.
