Algeria Says it Arrested Man Planning Attack on Protesters
Arab World
Algiers - Boualem Goumrassa
Algeria’s army has captured a man planning a suicide attack targeting peaceful anti-government protest marches in the capital, the defense ministry said on Thursday. A security source told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that the armed man has been a member of extremist groups for years. The man, named by the ministry only as Bashir R, was arrested in the Birtouta district of Algiers on Wednesday with an explosive belt. The military didn’t provide further details. It did not name the armed group he belonged to. Algeria witnessed in 2007-2008 a series of suicide attacks carried out by men from al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. A security source said that Bashir was a member of an armed group that is independent of other terrorist groups. He clarified that the terrorist had earlier escaped an army ambush to arrest him. Military intelligence continued to track him for more than a year and monitored his activities in Birtouta where he resided. Anti-Government protesters expressed their views on social media, describing the incident as an attempt by the regime to spread fear among demonstrators and to stop them from taking to the streets on Tuesdays and Fridays. A month ago, security forces arrested an activist accused of providing information to foreign sides known for their enmity with Algeria. Also, police arrested protesters at the end of 2019 on suspicion of their membership to the Movement for the Autonomy of Kabylia. In April, police said that 18 foreigners were detained after coming to Algeria to create tension and push youths to extremism. They said they seized "sensitive" equipment from some of them and large amounts of drugs from others.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2108216/algeria-says-it-arrested-man-planning-attack-protesters
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