Preliminary investigation results suggest that the suspect assaulted the victim and caused her death using a sharp object while she was at the municipal market in Tiznit, says the General Directorate of National Security (DGSN) in a statement, noting that investigations are underway to determine the reasons of this act.

The DGSN does not rule out the possibility of an assault for theft at this stage of the investigation, the statement adds, noting that the extensive research and investigations carried out by the judicial police services, backed by the viewing of the surveillance cameras recordings and the descriptions of witnesses, enabled the identification of the suspect in possession of a bladed weapon which would have been used to commit this crime.

According to the same source, the victim is a 79-year-old French national who was living in a campsite near the city of Tiznit.

Her body has been transferred to the hospital for autopsy, DGSN says, adding that investigations are underway to arrest the suspect who appears on the camera recordings.