Mohamed Mediouri

{{Short description|Former bodyguard of King Hassan II of Morocco}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Haj Mohamed El Mediouri
الحاج محمد مديوري

| office1 = President of Kawkab Marrakesh F.C

| term_start1 = 1984

| term_end1 = December 2002

| office2 = President of the Moroccan Athletics Federation

| term_start2 = 1993

| term_end2 = July 2001

| successor2 = Abdeslam Ahizoune

| office3 = Chief of the Royal Security

| term_start3 = 1976

| term_end3 = 22 May 2000{{cite news|title=Basri limogé, qui l'aurait cru!|url=http://www.maghress.com/fr/leconomiste/32248|access-date=7 February 2014|newspaper=L'Economiste|date=28 July 2008}}

| predecessor3 = Hadj Ahmed El Faqir

| successor3 = Aziz Jaidi

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1938|4|8|df=y}}

| birth_place = Marrakesh, Morocco

| death_date =

| death_place =

| spouse = {{marriage|Lalla Latifa|May 2000|29 June 2024|end=d.}}

| children = Fatima Zahra Mediouri
Monsif Mediouri{{cite news|last=Taieb CHADI|title=Portrait du président de la FRMA, Abnégation Popularité incontestée|url=http://www.maghress.com/fr/marochebdo/31620|access-date=7 February 2014|newspaper=Maroc hebdo|date=28 March 1998}}

| relatives = Princess Lalla Meryem (stepdaughter)
King Mohammed VI (stepson)
Princess Lalla Asma (stepdaughter)
Princess Lalla Hasna (stepdaughter)
Prince Moulay Rachid (stepson)

| image = Mohamed Mediouri.jpg

| caption = Mediouri in 1994

| native_name_lang = ar

}}

Haj Mohamed El Mediouri ({{langx|ar| الحاج محمد المديوري }}; born 8 April 1938 in Marrakesh) is the former chief of the personal security, and the senior bodyguard, of King Hassan II of Morocco.{{cite book|title=Hassan II entre tradition et absolutisme|publisher=Fayard|isbn=978-2-213-66458-3|author=Ignace Dalle|date=9 March 2011}}{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=2019-05-21|title=La "mystérieuse" agression du beau-père de Mohamed VI|url=https://www.leparisien.fr/faits-divers/la-mysterieuse-agression-du-beau-pere-de-mohamed-vi-21-05-2019-8076831.php|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-11-20|website=leparisien.fr|language=fr-FR}}{{Cite web |date=2019-05-21 |title=Maroc: "mystérieuse" agression de l'ex-chef de la sécurité royale |url=https://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-actu/maroc-mysterieuse-agression-de-l-ex-chef-de-la-securite-royale-20190521 |access-date=2020-11-20 |website=Le Figaro |language=fr |agency=AFP}}

Outside his official security position inside the palace, he was the president of Kawakab Marrakesh football club and the Moroccan Athletics federation.

After the death of Hassan II, he married his widow Lalla Latifa and settled in France.{{cite book |author=Ali Amar |url=https://www.hlrn.org/img/documents/Laurent,_eric_Le_Roi_predateur_fr.pdf |title=Mohammed VI, le grand malentendu |date=2009-04-29 |publisher=Calman-Levy |isbn=978-2-702-14857-0 |pages=52 |language=fr |quote=Mohamed Médiouri ... had married the mother of Mohammed VI, and therefore the former wife of Hassan II, Latifa}} He was discharged of all of his official positions.{{Cite web |date=2000-05-25 |title=MOROCCO : MOHAMED MEDIOURI - 25/05/2000 - Maghreb Confidential |url=https://www.africaintelligence.com/north-africa/2000/05/25/mohamed-mediouri,270713-bre |access-date=2024-01-04 |website=Africa Intelligence |language=en}}

El Mediouri was also involved in business, he was the exclusive distributor of Motorola Talkie Walkies in Morocco. His son reportedly still runs this business.

Biography

Haj Mohammed Mediouri started his career as policeman in the CMI (compagnie marocaine d'intervention),{{cite book|title=Les officiers de Sa Majesté:Les dérives des généraux marocains 1956-2006|date=2006-09-13|publisher=Fayard|author=Mahjoub Tobji|author-link=Mahjoub Tobji|isbn=978-2-213-64072-3}} the riot control division of the Moroccan police. After the coups attempts of the early 1970s Hassan II realized that his security was insufficient and tasked Raymond Sassia (former bodyguard of Charles de Gaulle) with the formation of a new security for the monarch. Sassia recruited and trained, with the assistance of Hadj Ahmed El Faqir, Mediouri among others, but he became close to the king, and he eventually replaced Sassia in the late 1970s as chief of security in the royal palace.

In May 2000, he married Princess Lalla Latifa, the widow of King Hassan II.

See also

References