On Tuesday, in the Spanish capital Madrid, Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska presided over the official ceremony to award Abdellatif Hammouchi, Director General of National Security and Territorial Surveillance, with the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Civil Guard, which is the highest and most prestigious award given by this security institution to foreign figures.
A statement from the General Directorate of National Security and the General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance indicated that the ceremony of decoration and presentation of the medal to the Director General of National Security and Territorial Surveillance was attended by the Director General of the Spanish Civil Guard, Mercedes Gonzalez Fernandez, and Major General Luis Balez Pinero, who is in charge of the Intelligence Commission of the Civil Guard, as well as many senior security figures in both the Moroccan and Spanish kingdoms.
In his speech on this occasion, the Spanish Interior Minister explained that awarding Abdellatif Hammouchi the highest Order of Merit issued by the Civil Guard is an acknowledgment by the Spanish authorities of the distinguished role played by the Director General of National Security and Territorial Surveillance in strengthening and developing the security partnership between Morocco and Spain, and of his continuous efforts in promoting operational cooperation and mutual assistance to neutralize the risks and threats that threaten the security of the two countries.
The Spanish Interior Minister also praised what he described as “the exceptional efforts made by Abdellatif Hammouchi to develop and modernize the national security services and to monitor the national territory of the Kingdom of Morocco, which has made it currently occupy a prestigious position and a model to be emulated internationally in the field of combating terrorism and organized crime.”
The Minister of the Interior took this opportunity to express his country’s commitment to cooperation, based on mutual trust, with the Kingdom of Morocco to ensure the success of the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which he considered an opportunity to strengthen the bonds of brotherhood and cooperation between the Moroccan and Spanish kingdoms.
In a related context, Spanish Civil Guard officials stressed that awarding Abdellatif Hammouchi the highest Civil Guard Order of Merit is a true testament to the high appreciation for the outstanding cooperation that unites the Spanish Civil Guard with the General Directorate of National Security and the General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance in various security fields and issues of common interest.
According to the same source, the organization of this official ceremony comes in the context of the Spanish government’s earlier approval, based on a proposal from its Minister of the Interior, of awarding the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Spanish Civil Guard to the Director General of National Security and Territorial Surveillance, in recognition of his outstanding efforts in promoting joint security work between the two countries.
He added that this ceremony also provided an opportunity for bilateral talks between the Director General of National Security and Territorial Surveillance and Spanish security officials, which addressed ways and mechanisms to strengthen joint operations to confront the risks of terrorism and violent extremism, and the cross-border extensions of organized crime, including combating illicit trafficking in drugs and psychotropic substances, human trafficking, regulating illegal immigration and cybercrime.
It is worth noting that the Spanish authorities had previously awarded the Director General of National Security and Territorial Surveillance, Abdellatif Hammouchi, in 2014 with the Order of the Cross of Honor for Security Merit with Red Distinction, which is one of the highest Spanish decorations, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to establishing a model security partnership between Morocco and Spain.
In a related context, the French authorities had previously decorated the Director General of National Security and Territorial Surveillance with three high honors, including the Knight of the National Order of Honor from the President of the French Republic in 2011, the Gold Medal of Honor of the French Police on August 5, 2024, and the Legion of Honor of the Officer rank in June 2025.
At the Arab level, the Council of Arab Interior Ministers, at its meeting held in 2025, awarded the Director General of National Security and Territorial Surveillance the Prince Nayef Medal for Arab Security, First Class, in recognition of his efforts in strengthening and supporting Arab security work at the international level.
Abdellatif Hammouchi had previously received royal favor in 2011, when King Mohammed VI bestowed upon him the Order of the Throne, Officer Class, in recognition of his efforts in the investigations related to the Argana terrorist incident. This decoration was unprecedented in the history of the security establishment in Morocco, as Abdellatif Hammouchi was the first prominent security official to receive this high royal honor.
