On May 29, 2017, Zefzafi was arrested by the Moroccan police and charged with a list of crimes that included undermining state security, disrespecting the king, and receiving funds from abroad used for plots to destabilize the country.

In an interview with the news site El Español in January 2017, Zefzafi declared:"What has happened to Fikri also affects us: if we keep quiet today, it will continue.

On May 29, 2017, Zefzafi was arrested in Al Hoceima and then shown transported in a helicopter by Gendarmerie to Casablanca, before being charged with "threatening national security".

[12] Following these arrests, daily protests began in Al Hoceima, Imzouren and other neighboring cities demanding the release of Zefzafi and the other activists.

He stated: We have made public our decision to abandon nationality and break the bond of allegiance, this position was not arbitrary, but founded"He denounced in particular the deportation of Rifans and the siege imposed on the Rif.