An Israeli businessman already known to authorities was arrested last week at Morocco’s Casablanca airport after landing from a family vacation in Dubai, caught in an international dragnet targeting alleged forex fraud operations that reportedly bilked German investors out of tens of millions of euros.

Israeli Businessman Arrested in Morocco on Forex Fraud Charges

The arrest followed an Interpol warrant issued at Germany's request, part of what appears to be a broader German crackdown on Israeli-linked forex scams that have targeted European investors. The businessman, whose name hasn't been disclosed, now faces likely extradition to Germany, where prosecutors claim they've built a solid case against him.

"He was shocked when they presented him with the international warrant issued against him by Interpol," a Moroccan source involved in the arrest told Israeli media outlet Mako. "They worked on his case for several years and waited for the moment he left Dubai to close it on him."

Family Vacation Turns Into International Incident

The businessman had been vacationing in Dubai with his two young children when he decided to travel through Morocco. Relatives picked up his youths while their father was taken into custody for questioning in what the Moroccan source quoted by Mako described as a well-coordinated operation.

German authorities allegedly spent years building their case, waiting for the right moment to act. "The Germans brought a ready-made extradition case, closed on him from all sides," the source said, predicting extradition could happen within days.

Alleged Call Center Operations Across Europe

According to the allegations, the businessman rented large office complexes in central Israel and several Eastern European cities about three years ago. There, dozens of employees allegedly posed as legitimate investment company representatives, targeting German citizens looking to invest their savings in foreign exchange markets.

The operation reportedly followed a familiar pattern seen in other Israeli-linked forex cases - victims were convinced to invest money they believed would be traded professionally, only to discover later that their funds had vanished.

Israeli police unit Lahav 433 had opened its own investigation into the businessman and repeatedly sought court orders to freeze assets worth tens of millions of shekels, including a villa in Herzliya valued at approximately 25 million shekels ($7.5 million). However, Israeli investigators couldn't gather enough evidence to file formal charges.

German Prosecutors Take the Lead

German law enforcement appears to have succeeded where their Israeli counterparts struggled. A police source told Mako that German authorities only issue international arrest warrants when they have substantial evidence.

"When the Germans issue an international arrest warrant, it only happens after they have solid evidence. They won't make a fool of themselves," the officer said. "Quite a few Israelis were involved in forex scams in Germany and most of them were extradited, sentenced to long years in prison and paid financial compensation to the victims."

The businessman is currently being held at a detention facility in Rabat, Morocco's capital, where he's expected to contest his extradition to Germany. Moroccan authorities plan to coordinate with Israeli police in the coming days to gather additional evidence and documentation related to the case.