No: 86/2026
Date: 16 October 2026
In the first of the cases, 40-year-old Moroccan national Mohamed BAKKAR has been charged with one count of being a Prohibited Immigrant found in Gibraltar, contrary to the Immigration, Asylum and Refugee Act.
BAKKAR was extradited from Gibraltar to Spain by RGP officers in October 2019, on the strength of a European Arrest Warrant issued as part of Operation Iceberg, a joint investigation between the Royal Gibraltar Police and Spain's Policia Nacional that dismantled a migrant smuggling organised crime group operating between Morocco, Gibraltar and Spain. At the time of his extradition, BAKKAR was declared a Prohibited Immigrant as a result of his irregular presence in Gibraltar.
On Sunday 11th October 2026, following a positive Live Facial Recognition alert in the area of the border, BAKKAR was identified and arrested by Response Team officers. He was later charged by Special Branch officers, appeared before the Magistrates' Court on Tuesday 13th October 2026, and has been remanded in custody at HM Prison Windmill Hill until his next court appearance on the 20th of October 2026.
In a separate case, 22-year-old Pakistani national Muhammad Ahmad HANAN has been charged with one count of being in Possession of a Forged or Irregular Passport, and one count of being a non-Gibraltarian found in Gibraltar without a valid Permit or Certificate, both offences under the Immigration, Asylum and Refugee Act.
HANAN was arrested yesterday morning by RGP Special Branch officers at Joshua Hassan Gibraltar International Airport, after he presented a forged British passport containing his personal details to officers of the Borders and Coastguard Agency who were conducting Immigration Exit Checks.
HANAN had intended to board a flight he had booked to the United Kingdom, but when his passport was scanned, a number of anomalies were identified with the document's biometric page. Subsequent enquiries identified further anomalies that confirmed the passport to be a forgery.
HANAN was arrested and conveyed by officers to New Mole House, where he was interviewed and later charged. He was detained overnight at New Mole House, appeared before the Magistrates' Court this morning, and has been remanded at HM Prison Windmill Hill until his next court appearance on the 23rd of October 2026.