Mohamed Medbouh ( ar, محمد المدبوح; b. 1927 in Aknoul - d. 10 July 1971 in Skhirat) was a senior

Moroccan Army zgh, ⵜⴰⵙⵔⴷⴰⵙⵜ ⵜⴰⴳⵍⴷⴰⵏⵜ , image = , caption = Flag of the Royal Moroccan Army , start_date = active since: 1088 CE current form: 14 May 1956 , ...

officer. He was Minister of Posts, Telegraphs and Telephones in the government of

Abdallah Ibrahim Abdallah Ibrahim (; 24 August 1918, in Tameslouht– 11 September 2005, in Casablanca) was a Moroccan politician and a figure of the national movement and was the left-wing Prime Minister of Morocco between December 16, 1958, and May 20, 1960. H ...

(1958-1960). He was co-organizer with Colonel

M'hamed Ababou M'hamed Ababou ( ar, امحمد أعبابو; 1938 – 10 July 1971) was a senior Moroccan Army officer. Along with General Mohamed Medbouh he instigated an attempted coup against king Hassan II on 10 July 1971. M'hamed Ababou was the dir ...

of the coup against King

Hassan II of Morocco Hassan II ( ar, الحسن الثاني, translit=al-Ḥasan aṯ-ṯhānī;), with the prefix "Mulay" before his enthronement 9 July 1929 – 23 July 1999) was the King of Morocco from 1961 until his death in 1999. He was a member of the 'Ala ...

of 10 July 1971.

Career

Mohamed Medbouh was a Berber from the

Rif The Rif or Riff (, ), also called Rif Mountains, is a geographic region in northern Morocco. This mountainous and fertile area is bordered by Cape Spartel and Tangier to the west, by Berkane and the Moulouya River to the east, by the Mediterrane ...

, and he was born in 1927, son of a leader of Aknoul who fought for the French under General

Hubert Lyautey Louis Hubert Gonzalve Lyautey (17 November 1854 – 27 July 1934) was a French Army general and colonial administrator. After serving in Indochina and Madagascar, he became the first French Resident-General in Morocco from 1912 to 1925. Early in ...

against the

rebels under

Muhammad Ibn 'Abd al-Karim al-Khattabi Muhammad ibn Abd al-Karim al-Khattabi (; Tarifit: Muḥend n Ɛabd Krim Lxeṭṭabi, ⵎⵓⵃⵏⴷ ⵏ ⵄⴰⴱⴷⵍⴽⵔⵉⵎ ⴰⵅⵟⵟⴰⴱ), better known as Abd el-Krim (1882/1883, Ajdir, Morocco – 6 February 1963, Cairo, Egypt) ...

. His father's throat was cut during the fighting, but he survived. He gained the nickname "Medbouh", meaning "Cutthroat", which he passed on to his son. Mohamed Medbouh received a military education with the elite ''Cadre noir'', and then served in Indochina. Medbouh supported King

Mohammed V of Morocco Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 Common Era, CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Muhammad in Islam, Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet Divine inspiration, di ...

in the push for independence in 1956. In January 1957 there was an armed revolt against the king by Brahim Zedki Addi ou Bihi, the governor of

Tafilalt Tafilalt or Tafilet (; ar, تافيلالت), historically Sijilmasa, is a region and the largest oasis in Morocco. Etymology The word "Tafilalt" is an Amazigh word and it means "Jug", which is specifically a pottery jar used to store water. H ...

province. Captain Mohamed Medbough was leader of one of two infantry battalions that moved into the mountains to suppress the revolt, which was achieved without difficulty. He became governor of Casablanca and then Minister of Posts. King

Hassan II Hassan, Hasan, Hassane, Haasana, Hassaan, Asan, Hassun, Hasun, Hassen, Hasson or Hasani may refer to: People * Hassan (given name), Arabic given name and a list of people with that given name *Hassan (surname), Arabic, Jewish, Irish, and Scotti ...

succeeded to the throne on 26 February 1961. Medbouh was made the king's chief aide-de-camp. In July 1963 an alleged plot by the leftist

National Union of Popular Forces The National Union of Popular Forces ( ar, الاتحاد الوطني للقوات الشعبية; , UNFP) was founded in 1959 in Morocco by Mehdi Ben Barka and his entourage, because they found that the Istiqlal Party was not radical enough. E ...

party to kill the king in his bed was foiled. The plotters were said to have obtained detailed plans of the palace from Major Mohamed Medbouh, although Medbouh was not implicated. He was made head of the Royal Military Cabinet in 1967. He often went riding with Hassan II, or played golf with him. Medbouh was one of the king's closest supporters.

Skhirate coup attempt

In the summer of 1971 Medbouh went to the United States for medical treatment. While there, at the request of King Hassan II, he made inquiries into the reason why

Pan American World Airways Pan American World Airways, originally founded as Pan American Airways and commonly known as Pan Am, was an American airline that was the principal and largest international air carrier and unofficial overseas flag carrier of the United States ...

had decided against building an Intercontinental Hotel in

Casablanca Casablanca, also known in Arabic as Dar al-Bayda ( ar, الدَّار الْبَيْضَاء, al-Dār al-Bayḍāʾ, ; ber, ⴹⴹⴰⵕⵍⴱⵉⴹⴰ, ḍḍaṛlbiḍa, : "White House") is the largest city in Morocco and the country's econom ...

. He was told the company had decided not to proceed after they had been asked by government officials for sizable "commissions". On hearing this, the king fired four of his cabinet ministers. Some said that the dismissals took place only after the ministers had made enough money from corrupt practices and it was time for others to take their turn. Medbouh felt the dismissals were not sufficient: the ministers should be tried and punished. He plotted a coup with Colonel M'hamed Ababou, the commander of the Military Training Academy. Colonel Larbi Chelouati was another leader. The attack was made on 10 July 1971 at the king's palace at

Skhirat Skhirat ( ar, الصخيرات; Berber: ⴰⵙⵖⵉⵔⵔⴰⵜ) is a seaside town in Morocco situated between the administrative capital Rabat and the economic centre of Casablanca, known within Morocco for its idyllic beaches on the edge of th ...

, on the Atlantic coast about south of

Rabat Rabat (, also , ; ar, الرِّبَاط, er-Ribât; ber, ⵕⵕⴱⴰⵟ, ṛṛbaṭ) is the capital city of Morocco and the country's seventh largest city with an urban population of approximately 580,000 (2014) and a metropolitan populati ...

, during the celebrations of the king's forty-second birthday. About 800 senior government members, military officers and other members of the elite were present. About 1,200 military cadets attacked, firing automatic weapons into the crowd at random, and killing almost 100 guests. The cadets had been told they were protecting the king against insurgents who had taken over the palace. They ran out of control when they saw the luxury of the gathering. In a squabble between the coup leaders, M'hamed Ababou apparently shot Mohamed Medbouh at an early stage. Medbouh reportedly wished only for Hassan II to abdicate whereas Ababou had more radical demands. According to historian

Michel Abitbol Michel Abitbol ( he, מיכאל אביטבול; born 14 April 1943 in Casablanca, Morocco) is a Moroccan-Israeli historian. He is considered an expert on the history of Morocco and the history the Jews of North Africa. In the 80s, he gave cour ...

Medbouh's death occurred "under mysterious circumstances". The king and his aides hid in a bathroom to avoid the shooting, then reasserted authority after being found. General Mohamed Oufkir arranged for loyal soldiers to oust the cadets from a radio station in Rabat from which they were proclaiming the end of the monarchy. Ababou was killed in a shoot-out. Ten of the leaders of the coup were executed, and others received harsh prison sentences.

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