Allal ben Abdallah

Allal ben Abdallah ben Bachir Zerouali (1916 – September 11, 1953) was a Moroccan laborer who attempted to assassinate the French-installed Sultan, Mohammed ben Arafa.

Early life and career Allal ben Abdallah ben Bachir Zerouali was born in 1916 in the village of Ouled Salah near Guercif. He was a member of the Houara Oulad Raho tribe.

His father was Abdallah ben Bachir and his mother was Khaira bent Mohamed. He was raised in the village, where he attended a religious school. He married Khadija bent Larbi Belghmi and had a child, Abdallah Zerouali.

The couple moved to Guercif, where he learned dyeing and ran a workshop in the city center where he worked as an artisan painter and as a dry-cleaner.

Life in Rabat He moved with his family to the El Akkari neighborhood of Rabat in 1947. Ben Abdallah drove into the crowd and lunged at Ben Arafa with the knife, severely injuring the horse leading the ceremony. Ben Abdallah lies dead after being shot by the Royal GuardA non-commissioned officer in the Royal Guard, Robert King, attempted to tackle Ben Abdallah and was stabbed in the left shoulder. Despite this, King managed to throw his knife onto the ground.

A number of photographers were present at the ceremony, with the attack having been filmed by filmmaker .

Ben Abdallah's attack led to a large range of activities against the French protectorate in Morocco. His grandson is footballer and basketball player Karim Zerouali, who played in the Wydad AC and the Hassania Agadir.