Police chief Dubai: Taghi was anxiously hiding in a luxury villa
NEWS HOUR
Ridouan Taghi had entrenched himself in a villa in a new-build district of Dubai. He rarely left the house and took precautions to stay invisible. That tells police chief Jamal Al Jallaf who was involved in the arrest of the criminal, in conversation with Nieuwsuur . "Taghi was careful, very careful."

"The curtains of the house were always closed, no light came out. You could not see from outside if there was someone inside. You could not see if anyone went in or out," says Al Jallaf. . "Taghi wanted to prevent it from being seen if anyone was in the house."

The criminal also had no contact with official authorities. "He was helped by friends or acquaintances." Those contacts ultimately played a role in his discovery, the police chief says. "We were able to connect information about the people who helped him to each other. This confirmed his presence in the house."

"Then a plan was set up for the arrest and we entered the villa. We found him there." Taghi did not object to the arrest, police chief says. "He immediately surrendered." In addition to Taghi, a woman was also arrested. "She has an Asian nationality and is seen as a friend of Taghi."

There have been suspicions for a long time that Taghi was in Dubai. According to Al Allaf, he previously traveled between different countries in the region. "He came to Dubai in 2016. Taghi came in on an official Dutch passport, but in the name of someone else. He did not enter the country on the surname Taghi."

"Successful extradition to the Netherlands"
According to Al Jallaf, the criminal will be extradited to the Netherlands. "I don't know how long it will take. But if all legal proceedings here have been completed through the prosecutor, in collaboration with the Dutch police, then Taghi will be extradited to the Netherlands."

Yesterday, the arrest of Taghi was announced. The result of an "intensive cooperation" between the Dutch police and the emirate. Although the police chief is not formally concerned, he sees no problems for a successful extradition. "When everything is completed, it will be delivered as quickly as possible."

According to him, there are no extradition requests from other countries. "We have not received anything from any other country." That is relevant because Taghi is also wanted by Morocco because of a 'mistaken murder' in Marrakesh. Morocco, unlike the Netherlands, does have an extradition treaty with Dubai.

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"Well-oiled killing machine"
Ridouan Taghi is the prime suspect in the so-called Marengo trial, which deals with five murders and several liquidation attempts. Nabil B., who made incriminating statements about Taghi and his organization before the winding-up process.

The Public Prosecution Service described Taghi's criminal group and his right-hand man Said Razzouki as "a well-oiled murder organization". Dozens of people still receive security because of the threat from his group. With the arrest of Taghi, that threat is probably not over.

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