Alleged Moroccan spy goes on trial in Germany

A suspected Moroccan spy began standing trial at a German court on Monday, reported dpa.

The 36-year-old is alleged to have spied on supporters of the opposition Moroccan Hirak movement living in Germany, for the Moroccan foreign intelligence service.

The Federal Prosecutor's Office has charged him with intelligence agent activities. The accused admitted at the Higher Regional Court in Dusseldorf on Monday that he had passed on information about the Algerian part of the protest movement and its supporters.

The Hirak protest movement denounces corruption and the abuse of power in Morocco. It was formed in 2016 following widespread outrage over the death of a fish seller.

The man was reportedly crushed in the press of a rubbish truck when he tried to stop authority workers from destroying his goods.

"As a blogger myself, I supported the Hirak protest movement from Europe with critical reports on my Facebook page," the Moroccan said in court.

He said that in early 2020 he went to the Moroccan Consulate General in Dusseldorf to get a certificate of good conduct to travel to his home country.

According to the indictment, an employee of the foreign intelligence service had then approached him and recruited him. Subsequently, he is said to have provided information on opposition members as ordered. In return, the service paid travel expenses amounting to almost €5,000.

The man was arrested at his home in western Germany and has been held in custody since November 14. Nine more days of hearings are planned for the trial until the end of August.