Belgium Once Allowed Deportation of Malika El Aroud to Morocco
Belgian authorities were given permission in 2019 to deport Malika El Aroud, a woman of Moroccan origin who had previously held Belgian citizenship, to Morocco after a Belgian court rejected her request for refugee status and international protection.
The decision was made by Belgium’s Council for Alien Law Litigation, which ruled that El Aroud could not claim international protection under the principles of the United Nations. Her lawyer had argued that she could face torture or inhuman or degrading treatment if she were returned to Morocco.
Why Malika El Aroud Lost Her Belgian Citizenship?
El Aroud was born in Tangier, Morocco, and had acquired Belgian citizenship before it was revoked in 2017 following her conviction and her involvement with a terrorist organization, according to Belgian authorities and court records.
In November 2017, the Belgian justice system confirmed the withdrawal of her Belgian nationality, leaving her with Moroccan nationality. The case became significant because the loss of Belgian citizenship made deportation to Morocco legally possible.
Her Connection to the Death of Ahmad Shah Massoud
Malika El Aroud became widely known in Europe because of her connection to Abdessatar Dahmane, her first husband, who was one of the men involved in the assassination of Afghan anti-Taliban leader Ahmad Shah Massoud on September 9, 2001.
Dahmane carried out the attack while posing as a journalist, and Massoud died two days before the September 11 attacks in the United States. El Aroud later became associated with radical Islamist networks and was described by several media outlets as an important figure in the European jihadist scene.
She later married Tunisian national Moez Garsalloui, with whom she was involved in an extremist website and activities linked to the recruitment of fighters. Garsalloui later moved to the Pakistan-Afghanistan border region and was believed to have been killed in a U.S. drone strike in 2012.
Eight-Year Prison Sentence in Belgium
In 2010, a Brussels criminal court sentenced El Aroud to eight years in prison and fined her 5,000 euro for her role in establishing and leading a network that sought to encourage young people to join jihadist activities in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Belgian prosecutors and the court said the network had links to Al-Qaeda and was involved in recruiting potential fighters. She had been among a group of people arrested during a major Belgian terrorism investigation, although the exact charges and outcomes differed among the suspects.
After serving her sentence, El Aroud was released, but the legal proceedings surrounding her Belgian nationality continued. Her citizenship was ultimately revoked in 2017, after which Belgian authorities sought to remove her to Morocco.
What Happened to Malika El Aroud?
Although Belgian authorities were legally able to deport El Aroud to Morocco following the 2019 court decision, the deportation did not ultimately take place. Moroccan authorities repeatedly refused to provide the necessary documents for her removal, according to later reports.
Malika El Aroud died in Belgium in April 2023 at the age of 64. Therefore, the earlier decision allowing her deportation is now a historical event and should not be presented as a current deportation plan in 2026.
