Moroccan Man Sentenced to Prison for Assault on Federal Officers

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Moroccan man was sentenced today to 5 years in prison for assaulting federal law enforcement officers and failing to depart the United States.

According to court documents, Zakaria Taoufik, 40, staged a violent outburst on a Royal Maroc passenger flight at Dulles International Airport as ICE officers attempted to execute his lawful removal to Morocco. Taoufik was being deported following of an aggravated felony conviction. Once aboard the aircraft, Taoufik screamed threats and obscenities, and repeatedly slammed his head into the on-board entertainment screen in front of him until it shattered. He assaulted the ICE officers escorting him, attempting to head-butt and bite them. He spat deliberately into the face of one of the officers, hitting him in the eye and also hitting another officer in the eye. Taoufik knew that he had an infectious disease at the time he spit at and attempted to bite the officers. As a result of his highly disruptive conduct, the captain ordered him off the plane. This was Taoufik’s second successful attempt to prevent his removal, as he previously foiled an earlier attempt to remove him from Atlanta in October 2017.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Reilly and Assistant U.S. Attorney Grace Hill prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:18-cr-73.