RABAT (AP) — Moroccan prosecutors have announced the arrest of a prominent academic on suspicion of money laundering.

Maati Monjib joins a growing list of dissident voices detained in recent months. Before he was taken into custody, he had described the allegations as “politically motivated.”

The detention of the 60-year-old historian, human rights activist and editorialist was confirmed in a statement Wednesday by the public prosecutor’s office.

He was picked up Tuesday at a restaurant in the capital, Rabat, according to Abdellatif El Hamamouchi, a member of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights, who said on Facebook that he was with Monjib at the time.

The arrest comes three months after Rabat prosecutors said they were investigating Monjib’s alleged involvement in money laundering. He has denied wrongdoing.