Abdellatif Hammouchi

Abdellatif Hammouchi (عبد اللطيف الحموشي; born 1966 in Taza, Morocco) is the head of the Moroccan national police directorate, the General Directorate for National Security or DGST (French: Direction Générale de la Sureté Nationale) as well as head of secret services, the General Directorate for Territorial Surveillance or DGST (Formerly known as the DST, Direction de surveillance du territoire).

He is also an advisor to Mohammed VI on terrorism-related affairs.

Early life
He graduated from the University of Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah in Fes and joined the police as an officer in 1993. After Hamidou Laanigri left the DST a day after the Casablanca bombings of 16 May 2003 and was appointed as the Director of the General Directorate for National Security, he was replaced by his deputy Ahmed Harrari, who was replaced by Hammouchi in December 2005.

Controversies
On 20 February 2014, while Hammouchi was attending a meeting with French officials in Paris, he was summoned by a French judge to testify on torture cases after multiple complaints by torture victims, such as Zakaria Moumni, against him and his organisation. His name has been often cited in connection to secret detention centres in Morocco such as the Temara interrogation centre and the Ain Aouda secret prison. The crisis between Morocco and France ended in February 2015, when the French government honored Abdellatif Hammouchi with the National Order of Merit at the rank of Officer of the Legion of Honor. This decoration was presented by Bernard Cazeneuve, the Minister of the Interior. On November 29, 2016, he was chosen as the Person of the Year by Maroc Hebdo International, recognizing his efforts in the field of security and his significant influence in essential and vital roles.

In Morocco, lawsuits against the DST and Hammouchi in connection to the death of detainees under torture have been rejected for lack of evidence.

In April 2011, Moroccan journalist Rachid Niny was imprisoned after he published sensitive details about Hammouchi. In 2011, he received an Alaouite Wissam decoration from Mohammed VI in recognition of his efforts for maintaining security.

Security Cooperation
On June 3, 2024, Abdellatif Hammouchi, the Director General of National Security and Territorial Surveillance, received Vittorio Pisani, the Director General of the Italian National Police, in Rabat. This meeting was part of an official visit to the Kingdom of Morocco by a significant Italian security delegation. The visit underscored the commitment of both countries to enhance their security cooperation, particularly given the increasing security challenges faced by nations at both regional and international levels. The collaboration aims to exchange information and expertise, coordinate efforts to combat organized crime and terrorism, and ensure security and stability in both the Kingdom of Morocco and the Republic of Italy.

From June 24 to June 26, 2024, Abdellatif Hammouchi, the Director General of National Security and Territorial Surveillance, conducted a working visit to the Federal Republic of Germany. During this visit, he met with officials from both the Federal Police and the Federal Criminal Police Office to discuss ways to enhance bilateral cooperation in various security fields, particularly in combating terrorism, transnational organized crime, and ensuring the security of major sporting events.

Decorations

 * MAR_Order_of_the_Throne_-_3rd_Class_BAR.png Officer of the Order of the Throne (2011)
 * Legion Honneur Officier ribbon.svg Officer of the Legion of Honour of France (2016)
 * ESP Gran Cruz Orden Merito Guardia Civil pasador.svg Grand-Cross of the Order of Merit of the Civil Guard of Spain (2019)