Six teenagers have been arrested on Monday for sexually assaulting a girl inside a bus in Casablanca, the Moroccan national security agency has said.

The assault was documented in a shocking short video that has been circulating on social media in the last 24 hours.

The General Directorate of National Security (DGSN) announced the arrest in a communiqué, adding that the teenagers are aged between 15 and 17.

The suspects were arrested in their homes in sis Lamâaguiz in Sidi Bernouss in Casablanca.

“The suspects have been place under police’s control”, said the release. “Investigations are under way to establish the truth about the circumstances of this case and arrest other individuals involved in these criminal acts and bring them before the justice”.

Investigations revealed that the victim is aged 24 years old and is suffering from “mental health problems”. Media outlets cited the victim’s family who stated she is aged only 12.

The national security agency said that the video was filmed three months ago. Online media outlets said the film was leaked after the mobile of one of the alleged attackers was stolen.

Other media reporter that the father of the victim, whose whereabouts are unknown, has been questioned by the police.

The video has made headlines in Moroccan media during the last 24 hours and has sparked outrage social media, with many users condemning the sexual assault and calling for the perpetrators to be punished.

In particular, the bus driver has come under fire for not intervening in the assault. In response, the bus company defended its employee, stating that whether he intervened based cannot be determined based on a 1-minute video.

The horrific footage of the teenagers ripping off the girl’s clothes and groping her body awakened Moroccans to the shocking reality of teenage delinquency, with many pointing to the failure of the traditional institutions such as the family and the school.

Seeing teenagers turning to crime has become common in Morocco, where teenage boys and sometimes girls engage in criminal acts, such as theft and armed robbery

source:MoroccoWorldNews