Ten years on, Türkiye pays tribute to Moroccan killed during failed coup attempt

Turkish Ambassador to Morocco Mustafa İlker Kılıç visited the grave of Moroccan citizen Jaouad Merroune in Tangier on Tuesday to mark the 10th anniversary of his death during the failed coup attempt in Türkiye, paying tribute to him as a symbol of friendship between the two countries.

In a statement, the Turkish Embassy in Rabat recalled that Merroune, a Tangier native who settled in Istanbul in 2010 and worked as a multilingual tour guide, joined Turkish civilians who took to the streets on the night of July 15, 2016, to oppose the coup attempt. He was killed near the TRT headquarters in Harbiye at the age of 32, becoming the only foreign national to lose his life during the events, leaving behind a wife and an unborn child.

The embassy noted that Merroune's body was repatriated to Morocco and buried in his hometown of Tangier, while his family was granted Turkish citizenship in recognition of his sacrifice. During Tuesday's visit, Ambassador Kılıç, accompanied by Military Attaché Devrim Ural, first met with Merroune's family before laying a tribute at his grave.

In the statement, Kılıç described Merroune as «a living symbol of friendship and brotherhood between Türkiye and Morocco» and thanked the Kingdom for the support it extended to Türkiye following the failed coup attempt, in line with the instructions of King Mohammed VI.