Brazilian police arrested a Moroccan Olympic boxer on Friday for allegedly sexually assaulting two female cleaners in the athletes&#39; village in Rio de Janeiro. 
 
Officers arrested Hassan Saada, 22, from Casablanca, on suspicion of committing the assault on Wednesday, said a police statement released hours ahead of the Games&#39; opening ceremony. 
 
&quot;According to investigations, on August 3 the athlete sexually assaulted two Brazilian room cleaners who were working in the athletes&#39; village,&quot; it said. 
 
Billions of people around the world are expected to watch on Friday evening as Rio hosts the formal opening of the Olympics, with several world leaders in attendance 
 
Police sources told the news site G1 that Saada was accused of calling the cleaners to his room on the pretext of asking them a question and then improperly touched them. The women managed to escape. The site said that two other athletes were allegedly in the room at the time but did not react to the assault. 
 
A court granted a police request for Saada to be held in preventive detention for two weeks pending an investigation, the statement said. 
 
The International Boxing Association (AIBA) lists Saada as a former Moroccan youth champion and &quot;newcomer to the international scene.&quot; He was to fight in the 81-kilogram (178-pound) or light-heavyweight category in the Rio Games. 
 
Saada had been scheduled to fight Mehmet Nadir Unal of Turkey on Saturday in his first bout of the Games, G1 reported. - Olympic scandals - News site Globo reported that the Rio 2016 organizing committee had promised to cooperate with the investigation. 
 
The AIBA said in a statement it &quot;has taken note of the serious allegations&quot; against Saada. 
 
&quot;We understand that the situation is being dealt with by the local Brazilian authorities and have complete confidence that they will handle the matter appropriately,&quot; it said. 
 
It was the latest in a series of scandals and dramas to hit the Games in the crime-plagued Brazilian city. 
 
On July 31, a private security guard at Rio&#39;s Olympic Park was arrested after allegedly sexually assaulting a female firefighter while she slept. 
 
About 85,000 police and soldiers, as well as thousands of private guards, have been deployed -- double the number used at the 2012 London Games. 
 
Brazil suffers high levels of violence against women. Statistics indicate that in 2014, a sexual assault took place on average every 11 minutes. 
 
In May, an alleged gang rape of an unconscious teenage girl shocked the country after it came to light in an online video posted by the suspects. 
 
The Games had already been hit by scandal, with dozens of Russian athletes being barred over allegations of state-run doping. 
 
The AIBA said Thursday that all 11 Russian boxers entered for the Rio Olympics had been cleared and should be allowed to compete. 
 
The AIBA drew wide criticism in world boxing circles this year for opening the Olympic competition to professional boxers for the first time. 
 
Professionals in many other sports -- like basketball, ice hockey and tennis -- were long ago allowed to compete in the Olympics. 
 
(AFP)

The boxer is accused of assaulting two female Brazilian cleaners in the athletes' village who managed to escape the room

Brazilian police arrested a Moroccan Olympic boxer on Friday for allegedly sexually assaulting two female cleaners in the athletes' village in Rio de Janeiro. Officers arrested Hassan Saada, 22, from Casablanca, on suspicion of committing the assault on Wednesday, said a police statement released hours ahead of the Games' opening ceremony. "According to investigations, on August 3 the athlete sexually assaulted two Brazilian room cleaners who were working in the athletes' village," it said. Billions of people around the world are expected to watch on Friday evening as Rio hosts the formal opening of the Olympics, with several world leaders in attendance Police sources told the news site G1 that Saada was accused of calling the cleaners to his room on the pretext of asking them a question and then improperly touched them. The women managed to escape. The site said that two other athletes were allegedly in the room at the time but did not react to the assault. A court granted a police request for Saada to be held in preventive detention for two weeks pending an investigation, the statement said. The International Boxing Association (AIBA) lists Saada as a former Moroccan youth champion and "newcomer to the international scene." He was to fight in the 81-kilogram (178-pound) or light-heavyweight category in the Rio Games. Saada had been scheduled to fight Mehmet Nadir Unal of Turkey on Saturday in his first bout of the Games, G1 reported. - Olympic scandals - News site Globo reported that the Rio 2016 organizing committee had promised to cooperate with the investigation. The AIBA said in a statement it "has taken note of the serious allegations" against Saada. "We understand that the situation is being dealt with by the local Brazilian authorities and have complete confidence that they will handle the matter appropriately," it said. It was the latest in a series of scandals and dramas to hit the Games in the crime-plagued Brazilian city. On July 31, a private security guard at Rio's Olympic Park was arrested after allegedly sexually assaulting a female firefighter while she slept. About 85,000 police and soldiers, as well as thousands of private guards, have been deployed -- double the number used at the 2012 London Games. Brazil suffers high levels of violence against women. Statistics indicate that in 2014, a sexual assault took place on average every 11 minutes. In May, an alleged gang rape of an unconscious teenage girl shocked the country after it came to light in an online video posted by the suspects. The Games had already been hit by scandal, with dozens of Russian athletes being barred over allegations of state-run doping. The AIBA said Thursday that all 11 Russian boxers entered for the Rio Olympics had been cleared and should be allowed to compete. The AIBA drew wide criticism in world boxing circles this year for opening the Olympic competition to professional boxers for the first time. Professionals in many other sports -- like basketball, ice hockey and tennis -- were long ago allowed to compete in the Olympics. (AFP)

Rio Olympics: Morocco boxer Saada arrested for suspected assault

Morocco said today that it had arrested 52 suspected militants inspired by Islamic State and that it had foiled several attacks in the North African kingdom by seizing weapons and bomb-making materials. 
 
It is the largest group arrested in years and the latest of a series of cells that the authorities say they have found plotting attacks inside and outside Morocco. 
 
The North African kingdom, an ally of the West against Islamist militancy, has been on high alert since 2014, when Islamic State took control of large swathes of northern Iraq and Syria. The 52 arrested were among 143 people investigated in many Moroccan cities and towns, the interior ministry said in a statement. 
 
Many members of the group were planning to create an Islamic State province (Wilayat) in Morocco, the statement said. They intended to assassinate Moroccan security and military officers and tourists, as well as targeting prisons and festivals and other institutions in the country. 
 
Morocco&#39;s Central Bureau of Judicial Investigation, the judicial part of the Moroccan domestic intelligence service, has tracked suspected militants since Islamic State established itself as a global threat. Morocco has dismantled 38 suspected militant cells with Islamic State ties since 2013, the statement said, adding 159 cells had been found since 2002. 
 
Hundreds of fighters from Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria have joined Islamist militant forces in Syria. Some are threatening to return and create new jihadist wings in their home countries, security experts have said. 
 
Nearby Libya has become a major draw for jihadists from North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa. Islamic State has taken advantage of the security chaos there to build a base, operate training camps and take over the city of Sirte. 
 
Morocco has been the target of militant attacks, most recently in 2011 in Marrakesh, when an explosion in a cafe killed 15 people, mostly foreigners. 
 
(Reuters) 
&nbsp;

The 52 suspects arrested were among 143 people investigated in many Moroccan cities and towns

Morocco said today that it had arrested 52 suspected militants inspired by Islamic State and that it had foiled several attacks in the North African kingdom by seizing weapons and bomb-making materials. It is the largest group arrested in years and the latest of a series of cells that the authorities say they have found plotting attacks inside and outside Morocco. The North African kingdom, an ally of the West against Islamist militancy, has been on high alert since 2014, when Islamic State took control of large swathes of northern Iraq and Syria. The 52 arrested were among 143 people investigated in many Moroccan cities and towns, the interior ministry said in a statement. Many members of the group were planning to create an Islamic State province (Wilayat) in Morocco, the statement said. They intended to assassinate Moroccan security and military officers and tourists, as well as targeting prisons and festivals and other institutions in the country. Morocco's Central Bureau of Judicial Investigation, the judicial part of the Moroccan domestic intelligence service, has tracked suspected militants since Islamic State established itself as a global threat. Morocco has dismantled 38 suspected militant cells with Islamic State ties since 2013, the statement said, adding 159 cells had been found since 2002. Hundreds of fighters from Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria have joined Islamist militant forces in Syria. Some are threatening to return and create new jihadist wings in their home countries, security experts have said. Nearby Libya has become a major draw for jihadists from North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa. Islamic State has taken advantage of the security chaos there to build a base, operate training camps and take over the city of Sirte. Morocco has been the target of militant attacks, most recently in 2011 in Marrakesh, when an explosion in a cafe killed 15 people, mostly foreigners. (Reuters)

Morocco arrests 52 suspected Islamic State militants, foils several attacks

Moroccan King Mohammed VI announced that his country wanted to rejoin the African Union, 32 years after quitting the bloc in protest of its decision to accept Western Sahara as a member. 
 
&quot;For a long time our friends have been asking us to return to them, so that Morocco can take up its natural place within its institutional family. The moment has now come,&quot; the monarch said in a message sent to an AU summit taking place in Kigali, the MAP Moroccan news agency reported. 
 
Morocco quit the grouping in protest in 1984 when the Saharan Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) was admitted as a member. 
 
But although Morocco left the club, &quot;it never quit Africa&quot;, King Mohammed said in his message to AU leaders as they began a two-day meeting in the Rwandan capital. 
 
Morocco has occupied the sparsely populated Western Sahara area since 1975 in a move that was not recognised by the international community. 
 
It maintains that Western Sahara is an integral part of the kingdom even though local Sahrawi people have long campaigned for the right to self-determination. 
 
In 1991, the United Nations brokered a ceasefire between Moroccan troops and Sahrawi rebels of the Algerian-backed Polisario Front but a promised referendum to settle the status of the desert territory has yet to materialise. 
 
In his address to the African Union, King Mohammed urged the bloc to rethink its position on the &quot;fantom state&quot; of Western Sahara, saying that a political solution was being worked on under the auspices of the UN. 
 
(AFP)

King Mohammed urged the bloc to rethink its position on the 'fantom state' of Western Sahara

Moroccan King Mohammed VI announced that his country wanted to rejoin the African Union, 32 years after quitting the bloc in protest of its decision to accept Western Sahara as a member. "For a long time our friends have been asking us to return to them, so that Morocco can take up its natural place within its institutional family. The moment has now come," the monarch said in a message sent to an AU summit taking place in Kigali, the MAP Moroccan news agency reported. Morocco quit the grouping in protest in 1984 when the Saharan Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) was admitted as a member. But although Morocco left the club, "it never quit Africa", King Mohammed said in his message to AU leaders as they began a two-day meeting in the Rwandan capital. Morocco has occupied the sparsely populated Western Sahara area since 1975 in a move that was not recognised by the international community. It maintains that Western Sahara is an integral part of the kingdom even though local Sahrawi people have long campaigned for the right to self-determination. In 1991, the United Nations brokered a ceasefire between Moroccan troops and Sahrawi rebels of the Algerian-backed Polisario Front but a promised referendum to settle the status of the desert territory has yet to materialise. In his address to the African Union, King Mohammed urged the bloc to rethink its position on the "fantom state" of Western Sahara, saying that a political solution was being worked on under the auspices of the UN. (AFP)

Morocco wants to rejoin African Union after 32 years

Moroccan authorities have arrested an Italian national who was planning to carry out attacks on targets in the kingdom, said the interior ministry in a statement on Monday. 
 
Morocco, a Western ally against Islamist militancy, announced that it has broken up militant cells accused of plotting attacks inside and outside the kingdom. 
 
The suspected Italian national, who lives in Belgium, was arrested on June 8 when he landed in the eastern city of Oujda, based on intelligence report showing his alleged ties to the Islamic State group and involved in a plan to attack targets in Morocco, said the statement 
 
In 2014, he tried to travel to Syria or Iraq but failed, despite guidance from an Islamic State member, and returned to Belgium 
 
Authorities said the suspect has already visited Morocco in 2015, sent by Islamic State, and identified targets in Casablanca, Morocco&#39;s biggest city. 
 
Moroccan security officials provided information that helped their European counterparts in fighting militancy, especially during the recent Paris attacks. 
 
Thousands of fighters from Morocco and other Maghreb nations, such as Tunisia, have joined Islamist militant forces that is in conflict in Iraq and Syria, and also in Libya. Some are threatening to return home to carry out attacks and recruit more jihadis, says&nbsp;security experts . 
 
Moroccan officials estimate that 2,000 Moroccan fighters have joined armed groups in Syria and Iraq, including Islamic State and the al-Qaeda linked Nusra Front, and about 200 have been jailed on their return home. 
 
The North African state has suffered bomb attacks by suspected Islamist fighters, most recently in 2011 in Marrakesh.

According to authorities, the suspect had visited Morocco in 2015, backed by IS, and identified targets in Casablanca

Moroccan authorities have arrested an Italian national who was planning to carry out attacks on targets in the kingdom, said the interior ministry in a statement on Monday. Morocco, a Western ally against Islamist militancy, announced that it has broken up militant cells accused of plotting attacks inside and outside the kingdom. The suspected Italian national, who lives in Belgium, was arrested on June 8 when he landed in the eastern city of Oujda, based on intelligence report showing his alleged ties to the Islamic State group and involved in a plan to attack targets in Morocco, said the statement In 2014, he tried to travel to Syria or Iraq but failed, despite guidance from an Islamic State member, and returned to Belgium Authorities said the suspect has already visited Morocco in 2015, sent by Islamic State, and identified targets in Casablanca, Morocco's biggest city. Moroccan security officials provided information that helped their European counterparts in fighting militancy, especially during the recent Paris attacks. Thousands of fighters from Morocco and other Maghreb nations, such as Tunisia, have joined Islamist militant forces that is in conflict in Iraq and Syria, and also in Libya. Some are threatening to return home to carry out attacks and recruit more jihadis, says security experts . Moroccan officials estimate that 2,000 Moroccan fighters have joined armed groups in Syria and Iraq, including Islamic State and the al-Qaeda linked Nusra Front, and about 200 have been jailed on their return home. The North African state has suffered bomb attacks by suspected Islamist fighters, most recently in 2011 in Marrakesh.

Morocco arrests Italian suspected of Islamic State ties

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