Trail of a villainous crime, psychotic crisis, radicalization: what the investigation into the disappearance of Clément Besneville in Rabat reveals
Quick Look
- The father of Clément Besneville, a French national who disappeared in Morocco in April 2024, says he saw his son for the last time on Eid-el-Fitr in front of his store in Rabat.
- Two and a half years later, French justice has still not received the complete file from the Moroccan investigation despite a request for international criminal assistance.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Clément Besneville, a French national, disappeared in Morocco on April 11, 2024, the second day of Eid-el-Fitr, while visiting a merchant in the Ocean district of Rabat. His family, based in France, has since been carrying out active research and has requested the intervention of the French authorities.
In a police station in Rabat, Mehdi* gathers his memories. The last time he saw “the French national”? It was “the second day of Eid-el-Fitr”, April 11, 2024, replied the merchant to an investigator from the National Brigade of the Judicial Police (BNPJ) of Casablanca, three months later, on July 14. Clément, also known as Abdallah, came to greet him at his store, a stall at the top of avenue Laalou, in the Ocean district, at the foot of the ramparts of the Oudayas casbah. It was around 12:30 p.m.
In February 2026, French justice took note of a whole section of the procedure carried out in Morocco on the disappearance of Clément Besneville, under the authority of the King's Attorney General at the Rabat Court of Appeal, following a request for international criminal assistance (DEPI). Since then, information has trickled down to the Besneville family, the content of the first three months of investigations - which represents crucial weeks in a legal investigation - not yet being in the hands of French justice.
For two and a half years, Didier and Véronique Besneville made numerous trips to Rabat, where they met members of the consulate, the Moroccan justice system and the Moroccan police. They also carried out their own investigation, in the Ocean district, because they are certain that their son would never have disappeared of his own free will. Didier Besneville wrote to Emmanuel Macron, to the Minister of Justice, Gérald Darmanin, and to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot. The Besnevilles received…
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
French justice will soon receive additional information from the Moroccan case following the ongoing DEPI.
Likely · Within weeks
The Besneville family will continue their efforts with senior French authorities to speed up the legal process.
Very likely · Within months
Open Questions
- What are the final conclusions of the Moroccan investigation after two and a half years?
- Why has the complete file still not been transmitted to French justice despite the DEPI?
- Are there any serious leads pointing to a criminal act or voluntary disappearance?
- What is the exact role of the merchant Mehdi* in the events of April 11, 2024?
