Journalists try to blackmail Morocco's king

Eric Laurent and Catherine Graciet demanded 3 million euros ($3.4 million) from the Moroccan King Mohammed VI, according to the king's lawyer Eric Dupont-Moretti.

Both reporters were handed preliminary extortion charges and released on bail on Saturday, the Paris prosecutor's office said.

The two journalists are known for their criticism of the Moroccan king, and were working on a new book about the Arab dynasty which allegedly contains harmful information about the ruler. They reportedly requested the funds in exchange for not publishing the book.

Caught in a 'trap'

The French police arrested Laurent and Graciet earlier this week, after a series of meetings with Moroccan officials. The meetings were a part of a sting operation in coordination with the police, according to Dupont-Moretti.

"A sum of money was handed over and accepted," a source close to investigation told AFP.

The French authorities monitored the meetings, according to Moroccan news outlet Le360. The website, which has close tiese to the palace, reported that the journalists were arrested after leaving a Paris restaurant with money that was allegedly a down payment from the royal dynasty.

The lawyer for Catherine Graciet, Eric Moutet, confirmed the existence of a "financial deal" but said his client had been caught in a "trap."

'Predator king'

The case gathered much media attention in Morocco, where the royal family is held in high regard.

King Mohammed VI is also popular abroad, with international partners praising his pursuit of diplomatic reforms and gender equality.

At the same time, critics claim the democratic tendencies are simply a façade, and that the monarch's corrupt associates run the economy of the African country. The opponents of the king, however, seldom have a chance to voice their concerns.

Laurent and Graciet published much of this criticism in their 2012 book "Predator King," which is banned in Morocco.

dj/ng (AP, AFP, Reuters)