A Spanish man of Moroccan origin is set to stand trial this Friday on charges of insulting and threatening Spanish consulate officials in Casablanca.
The man, identified as Otmane C.E., is accused of sending a series of emails to the consulate in which he called the officials “incompetent” and threatened to “wage jihad” against them and “cut their throats” because he believed they were delaying his marriage proceedings.
The prosecution is seeking a three-month prison sentence for Otmane C.E. for the statements he made in the emails, which they say were sent “as a result of the delay in the time taken to process the civil proceedings initiated” for his marriage.
The first email was sent on the morning of August 23, 2023, to the Civil Registry of the Spanish diplomatic mission in the following terms: “Addressed to the officials who delay marriages at the Spanish consulate in Casablanca. If they don’t give me my marriage certificate soon, I’m going to wage jihad fi Sabili Alah against you. Bunch of criminals who don’t believe in God, I’m going to go, if Allah wills, and you’re going to find out: Bunch of incompetents!”, according to the provisional conclusions of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, collected by Europa Press.
Less than an hour later, he struck again. He called the consulate workers “incompetents” and told them they did not deserve any respect.
“I hope they cut your throats (I pray to God for it), poor things, you skimp and make men live far from their wives. Satans, bunch of criminals who don’t believe in God, I have the opportunity to see you and I’ll cut your throats,” he said.
Otmane C.E. insisted minutes later in another message in which he called the officials “indecent” and “traitors”.
“I have renounced my nationality to have Spanish nationality. I have a signed pact with Spain and you are betraying me by not giving me my corresponding marriage certificate. Take your nationality and give me back the one I had before, if you are going to be so lazy and incompetent. My compatriots are legal, hardworking, responsible people, if you do not meet these requirements, give me back my Moroccan nationality and go to hell,” he said.
On that first day, he still sent two more emails, in which he said: “Give me the opportunity to see your face, and I’m going to wake you up so you work, bunch of lazy people”, and: “Get to work, I’m going there and you’re going to find out”.
Two days later, he lashed out again at the Spanish consulate, accusing them of “excessively” delaying the resolution of marriage proceedings, “something so important”.
“What they are achieving is to cause serious problems to the person when it can be easily solved. And don’t be passive. And they don’t answer this email I’m writing to them,” he wrote.
However, weeks later the defendant showed remorse and sent an email to the diplomatic mission acknowledging his “insults and threats”.
“I wanted to tell you that I did it out of a moment of extreme anger that I had, because the appointment that was assigned to me for the reserved hearing seemed very outrageous. I wanted to apologize for those emails and tell you that there is no need to be alarmed by what I said I was going to do in those emails. I have no intention of carrying it out, I withdraw everything I said and apologize again,” he admitted.
The prosecution states in its brief that the defendant acknowledged the facts in order to cooperate with justice, both in his statement at police and judicial headquarters, for which he requests that the mitigating circumstance of confession be applied to him.
