Alexandre Benalla : The Moroccan origins of Emmanuel Macron’s former aide

Filmed while beating a protester on the 1st of May, Alexandre Benalla is again making headlines. On Sunday, French newspaper Le Parisien revealed more details on Emmanuel Macron's former top bodyguard.

The newspaper reported that Alexandre Benalla is originally from Morocco. Born in September 1991 in Évreux, a French commune in the region of Normandy, the controversial aide is believed to be of Moroccan descent. Le Figaro claims that he might have changed his name.

«In 2010, he joined the Movement of Young Socialists (MJS)», recalled the same source, adding that Benalla «worked as an aide for distinguished individuals».

Meanwhile, L'Éveil Normand states that Benalla worked for a few days as a bodyguard of Marison Cotillard and Guillaume Canet, celebrity couple, during the Deauville American Film Festival. His ambitions drove him to the Élysée Palace after holding the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, says Le Figaro.

In 2017, he was appointed as Emmanuel Macron’s senior security aide during his electoral campaign, report French media.

Working in Casablanca

In 2015, Alexandre Benalla went to Casablanca to work there for a year and a few months. «Several months later, he was working for a security company called Velours in Casablanca», says Ouest-France.

According to a source close to La Republique En Marche, Alexandre Benalla was even looking for a work contract in Marrakech. In fact, he wanted to offer his services to jet sets in the city.

But the lieutenant-colonel returned to France to serve as Macron’s aide. «Having become President of the Republic, Macron appoints him as his senior personal bodyguard», explained the same source.

In France, Alexandre Benalla appeared in a video, shot on May the 1st, beating protesters on Labor Day. He was charged on Sunday night with assaulting protesters in an incident that has thrown the presidency into turmoil, wrote the Telegraph.