Where are the Moroccans? Outside Glenn’s job description

Home Affairs Minister Glenn Bedingfield has told Parliament that an investigation into two Moroccan nationals who escaped from a Turkish Airlines aircraft almost two years ago remains ongoing, without confirming whether the men have been found or arrested.

Replying to a parliamentary question by Nationalist MP Michael Piccinino, Bedingfield said he was informed that the investigation was continuing. He added that knowing the details of police investigations was not his role as minister, referring to a pledge made to the Maltese public and Opposition Leader Alex Borg.

Piccinino asked whether the two men who escaped from Malta International Airport on 1 January 2025 had been located or arrested. If they had, he requested details of when and where they were found and what action followed.

If they had not been found, Piccinino asked whether they remained wanted by Maltese authorities and whether their presence in Malta, or departure from the country, was known.

The reply did not answer those specific points. Parliament therefore received confirmation that an investigation remains open, but no confirmation of where the men are.

The incident occurred after an Istanbul to Marrakesh flight diverted to Malta when a passenger reported feeling unwell. Four other passengers escaped through the aircraft’s rear door.

Two escapees were subsequently apprehended and returned to Morocco, together with the passenger whose reported illness prompted the diversion. The other two were identified as Fouad el Sellah and Mohamed Lazaar.

The latest parliamentary question leaves their arrest status and whereabouts unresolved.

More than 21 months after the escape, the investigation is still underway and the information requested by Parliament remains, for now, outside the minister’s stated remit.