The Marrakech Police Department has responded to the claims of a British tourist who said she was deported upon arrival in Morocco after Ryanair staff refused to let her back on the plane to retrieve her passport, which she had forgotten on her seat. In a statement released Thursday, police said they had taken note of these allegations and opened an inquiry. Surveillance footage from both the arrivals and boarding areas was reviewed, and, according to the statement, «the review established that the claims were unfounded and required correction». Police clarified that the passenger arrived at Marrakech Menara Airport at 11 a.m. on July 31 «without a valid passport allowing her entry into Morocco, in accordance with the legal provisions governing the entry and stay of foreigners». Coordination with the airline's ground services and cargo company confirmed that the missing document was not found on board, despite the traveler's claim that she had left it on the plane. «As a result, she was denied entry into Moroccan territory due to the absence of the required documents and was rebooked the same day on the earliest flight back to her home country», the statement said. The tourist, however, told local media that border police were «not being nice», «intimidating», «laughing at her and calling her 'little girl'». In response, the Marrakech Police Department firmly rejected these accusations, stressing that «the claims against border police officers at the airport are baseless» and reaffirming that the entry and stay of foreign nationals in Morocco «are subject to strict legal procedures that must be respected». The traveler has continued to maintain that she left her passport on her seat and insisted that passengers on a later flight eventually found it exactly where she said it had been.
