News from Algeria 2008

[Al-khiyal]

Prison officers hurt in jail riot

July 2, 2008 -- Four prison officers have been injured in violence involving Muslims and other inmates at a high security jail.

Fighting broke out at Durham's Frankland Jail after a cell was set alight and three prisoners attacked another inmate.

It is believed the cell was that of convicted al Qaida terrorist Kamel Bourgass, who is serving life for the murder of Special Branch detective Stephen Oake, 40. The Algerian, 34, escaped injury in the blaze.

A British prisoner was slashed across the face with a home-made knife in retaliation, and a mass brawl broke out between around 60 British and foreign inmates, it was reported.

Prison officers attempted to break up the brawl and several were injured as rioting inmates turned on them. One suffered a broken arm.

The officers were praised for their bravery in stopping the brawl turning into a full scale riot.

A Prison Service spokesman confirmed there had been a cell fire and fighting between prisoners at the jail, but played down reports of a riot.

A Durham Police spokesman said: "Detectives from this force are investigating a fracas among inmates at Frankland Prison, Durham early last Friday evening.

"During the disturbance one inmate was slashed across the face and another was punched and kicked. A number of prison officers who intervened were injured, one suffering a broken arm."

Prison Officers' Association spokesman Steve Cox told the Evening Chronicle in Newcastle: "There is an ongoing problem at Frankland borne out of terrorist prisoners being housed with other prisoners."

[Al-khiyal]

Maroc:
arrestations de 35 recruteurs pour Al Qaida en Irak et en Algérie

Dozens of Al Qaeda suspects arrested in Morocco: agency

RABAT, July 2, 2008 (AFP) — Thirty-five alleged recruiters for Al-Qaeda operations in Algeria and Iraq were arrested by police in Morocco, where they are also accused of planning attacks, the Moroccan news agency said Wednesday.

"This network recruited and sent around 30 candidates for suicide operations in Iraq and three volunteers to fight alongside members of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb," a police source told Map.

"The suspects were also planning acts of terror in Morocco," the source said.

This is the third such group Morocco has claimed to have broken up since the beginning of the year.

The specific dates of the arrests, which took place throughout the kingdom, were not given.

Moroccan police in February announced the arrest of 36 people alleged to have been part of an Islamist terror network led by Belgian-Moroccan Abdelkader Belliraj.

In May, police in Morocco claimed to have dismantled an alleged terrorist network planning attacks in Morocco and Belgium. Two of the suspects have since been acquitted.

The Algerian-based group previously known as the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) vowed allegiance to Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda last year.

Though most of its attacks are still launched in Algeria, it has also carried out operations in other North African countries.

[Al-khiyal]

Algeria violence death toll rises in June

[Al-khiyal]

Al-Hitar to visit Algeria

SANA'A, July 3, 2008 (Saba) - Minister of Religious Endowment and Islamic Affairs Hamud al-Hitar will pay an official visit to Algeria on July 5 – 8 in response to an invitation extended from his Algerian counterpart.

Al-Hitar stated to the weekly 26September that during his visit, he would hold talks with Algerian officials on aspects of bilateral cooperation between the two countries in the field of endowment and religious affairs.

He will introduce Algerian officials to the Yemen's experience in combating terrorism and its accomplishments in the intellectual dialogue Yemen has adopted in this area, according to the minister.

On the other hand, the minister will visit Tunisia during the period of July 9 – 11 to participate in a joint meeting between Yemeni Religious Endowment ministry and Tunisian Religious Affairs Ministry.

During the joint meeting, both sides will sign an executive program for the cooperation agreement signed between the two countries.

[Al-khiyal]

Maroc:
arrestations de 35 recruteurs pour Al Qaida en Irak et en Algérie

Un réseau démantelé par la police marocaine :
Recrutés au Maroc pour des attentats en Algérie

[Al-khiyal]

Procès des auteurs de la tentative d’assassinat de Bouteflika à Batna :
Le dossier transféré au tribunal criminel

Jeudi 3 juillet 2008 -- Après plusieurs reports et deux semaines de délibérations, la chambre d’accusation près la cour de Batna, après avoir examiné pour la énième fois l’affaire du réseau impliqué dans la tentative d’assassinat du président de la République dans un attentat commis, le 6 septembre 2007 à Batna, a décidé de transférer le dossier au tribunal criminel. Cependant, la date du procès n’a pas encore été fixée. Ainsi, le tribunal aura à juger 11 individus membres du réseau, dont Ali Mehira alias Abou Rouaha, commanditaire de l’attentat avorté, ainsi que 51 autres terroristes en fuite, membres de katibet El-Maout, dirigée, jusqu’à un passé récent, par le même Abou Rouaha. Ce dernier a, rappelons-le, été destitué de la tête de cette katibet par le responsable national de l’organisation d’Al-Qaïda au pays du Maghreb islamique, Abou Mossâab Abdelouadoud, de son vrai nom Abdelmalek Droukdel, suite à l’échec essuyé par Mehira lors de l’exécution de l’attentat ciblant le président de la République à Batna.

Par ailleurs, les services de sécurité, en opération de ratissage depuis la semaine dernière dans la région de Batna, ont réussi, dans la nuit de lundi à mardi, à neutraliser un terroriste pris en étau entre les deux communes de T’kout et Kimel. Selon des sources, l’opération d’identification est en cours de même que l’opération de ratissage.

[Al-khiyal]

Agrément à la nomination du nouvel ambassadeur du royaume du Suède à Alger

Jeudi 3 juillet 2008 -- Le gouvernement algérien a donné son agrément à la nomination de Mme Eva Emneus, en qualité d’ambassadeur extraordinaire et plénipotentiaire du royaume du Suède, auprès de la République algérienne démocratique et populaire.