Brahim Akrach, partner in prison, dismantles Ali Aarrass video

Brahim Akrach, a native of the Rif region, revealed in a video he posted on his YouTube channel that all the accusations Ali Aarrass makes in his video are false and that he told him his story and the injustice he said he was subjected to by the Belgian and Spanish governments, and his extradition to Morocco, alleging that he had been subjected to torture.  

Brahim Akrach, a former Islamist detainee who was charged on 23 November 2012 for acts of terrorism and released on 18 February 2015, stressed that the publication of this video came after he was surprised, in the summer of 2024, by the publication of a video on his Facebook page in which Aarrass appears naked in his prison cell and claims that he was tortured by the staff of the Moroccan prison of Salé 2, for having received a UN envoy concerned about torture. 

Akrach confirmed that these allegations are unfounded and that he was the one who helped Aarrass prepare this fake video, before explaining how he drew fake signs of torture on his body using a special pen, which he then manipulated to make it look like he had been tortured.

‘In the video, Ali Aarrass claims to have been tortured in prison, while the marks on his body did not represent the real wounds of real torture or any violent act. I say this because I was the one who helped him to make this video. How can I confirm that everything he says is false? The video that was released and the alleged torture are completely false. I swear to God,’ Brahim Akrach said through the video posted. 

‘He informed me that an investigation was being carried out into his alleged torture and that he planned to draw marks of the alleged torture on different parts of his body and that he had already been in front of a court to denounce the case. I made it clear to him that I had no idea what was behind it, but he insisted that I help him, promising to erase these traces as soon as he returned to prison. One way or another, I eventually agreed,’ said Akrach, who pointed out that Ali Aarrass had taken advantage of him to make the video.

‘He had used me by taking advantage of the relative freedom of movement I enjoyed, as I had been given certain tasks by the prison administration. He also asked other inmates to help him do this kind of malicious acts,’ Akrach explained.

He also pointed out that it was he who gave Aarrass the mobile phone, thinking that he would use it to communicate with his daughter, but that he used it to record the fake video. ‘I repeat that he had promised me to erase the marks after going to the judge who handled the complaint. After I finished forging the bruises, he asked me to leave him a phone to contact his daughter, that he missed her. He told me that he wanted to speak to her by video. After I replied that I didn't know where he could get a phone number. He also told me that he had done military training in Belgium. I supported Ali Aarras during his conscription out of compassion, especially after rumours of torture were spreading around the prison. Afterwards, I could see that he was a great actor and that everything he was denouncing was nothing more than a set-up. Finally, I gave him Achraf Skaki's phone without knowing that he was going to record that fake video. If I had known, I would not have given it to him,’ he said.

As for the cell in which Aarrass appeared naked in the video, Akrach assured that it was not a torture cell, but one of the best cells in Salé 2 prison, as it was equipped with all the amenities. 

‘He had one of the best cells and was treated well by the officials. He also enjoyed some privileges including a cooker to prepare food and a TV. He asked me to take all the soaps I could find in the prison and convince the inmates to give him the unused soap in exchange for food,’ Akrach said through video testimony.