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Trial Opens in Algeria Militant Beheading of French Mountaineer

Francoise Grandclaude arrives at the Algiers courthouse for the trial in the 2014 kidnapping and beheading of her partner, French mountaineer Herve Gourdel, claimed by a militant affiliate of the ISIS group | AFP
Francoise Grandclaude arrives at the Algiers courthouse for the trial in the 2014 kidnapping and beheading of her partner, French mountaineer Herve Gourdel, claimed by a militant affiliate of the ISIS group | AFP
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Trial Opens in Algeria Militant Beheading of French Mountaineer

Francoise Grandclaude arrives at the Algiers courthouse for the trial in the 2014 kidnapping and beheading of her partner, French mountaineer Herve Gourdel, claimed by a militant affiliate of the ISIS group | AFP
Francoise Grandclaude arrives at the Algiers courthouse for the trial in the 2014 kidnapping and beheading of her partner, French mountaineer Herve Gourdel, claimed by a militant affiliate of the ISIS group | AFP

The trial opened before an Algiers court Thursday in the 2014 kidnapping and beheading of a French mountaineer claimed by a militant faction affiliated to the ISIS group.

Just one of the alleged kidnappers of 55-year-old mountain guide instructor Herve Gourdel was in court for the trial -- the other seven are being tried in absentia.

Members of Gourdel's family, including his partner Francoise Grandclaude, were in the public gallery.

The main defendant Abdelmalek Hamzaoui was brought to court by ambulance in a wheelchair accompanied by a medical team and watched over by police special forces.

At the request of defense lawyers, the trial opening had been delayed for two weeks because of his ill health.

Hamzaoui could face the death penalty if convicted.

Six other defendants in court are accused of failing to inform authorities promptly of Gourdel's abduction.

Five were Gourdel's climbing companions and spent 14 hours in captivity along with him.

The sixth is accused of failing to promptly report the theft of his car by the kidnappers to transport the captive Frenchman.

All six face up to five years in prison if they are found guilty.

Gourdel's murder sparked outrage in both France and Algeria.

The adventure enthusiast had traveled to Algeria at the invitation of his climbing companions to try out a new climb.

His kidnappers from the Jund al-Khilafa (Soldiers of the Caliphate) group demanded an end to airstrikes against ISIS in Iraq and Syria by a US-led coalition that included France.

Three days after abducting him, they released grisly video footage of his beheading.

Gourdel's body was not recovered until January the following year after an operation involving some 3,000 Algerian troops.

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Arab World

Syrians Rebuild Maaret Al-Numan, Symbol of War’s Devastation

This aerial view shows destroyed buildings in Maaret al-Numan, in the northwestern Syrian Idlib province, on December 14, 2024. (AFP)
This aerial view shows destroyed buildings in Maaret al-Numan, in the northwestern Syrian Idlib province, on December 14, 2024. (AFP)
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Syrians Rebuild Maaret Al-Numan, Symbol of War’s Devastation

This aerial view shows destroyed buildings in Maaret al-Numan, in the northwestern Syrian Idlib province, on December 14, 2024. (AFP)
This aerial view shows destroyed buildings in Maaret al-Numan, in the northwestern Syrian Idlib province, on December 14, 2024. (AFP)

Vegetation grows between crumbled walls and torn asphalt, and not a single street remains intact in Syria's Maaret al-Numan, a key war battleground town being brought back to life by returnees.

Bilal al-Rihani reopened his pastry shop in the western town this week with his wife and 14-year-old son.

The 45-year-old baker couldn't stay away after years of exile, even amid the devastation surrounding him.

Working without water or electricity, the shop bustles with customers as they prepare cinnamon pastries -- a family specialty for 150 years.

Cars weave through the ruins, honking to announce their arrival. Like Rihani, his customers are former residents displaced by war, eager to rebuild their homes and lives.

"I'm doing better business here than in the (displacement) camp!" Rihani said, pointing to the cracked road outside. "This street was the town's busiest, day and night."

- Strategic crossroad -

Once home to nearly 100,000 people, Maaret al-Numan was devastated by years of war, turning it into a ghost town and a symbol of Syria's destruction.

The town's location on the strategic M5 highway, linking second city Aleppo to the capital Damascus, made it a key battleground from the outbreak of fighting in 2012.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the group now in power after ousting long-time president Bashar al-Assad over a week ago, seized it in 2017.

But in 2020, Assad's forces backed by Russian air strikes retook the town after intense fighting, forcing the last remaining residents to flee to displacement camps in Idlib.

The war left Maaret al-Numan littered with mines and unexploded ordinances, deterring large-scale returns.

Authorities have yet to encourage people to return, but the White Helmets, a volunteer rescue group active in opposition areas, were working to clear debris and recover bodies.

At one site, they placed four bodies in mortuary bags.

"Soldiers from Assad's army, killed by his own people," one White Helmet member said, declining to elaborate.

The Syrian civil war, which began in 2011 with the brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protests, resulted in more than half a million deaths and displaced millions of people.

- Rebuilding better -

At another intersection, a bulldozer clears collapsed stone walls from the streets.

"This neighborhood is cleaned up, and we're here to protect the people and their belongings," said Jihad Shahin, a 50-year-old police officer.

"Activity is returning to the city, and we'll rebuild better than before."

But it is an uphill battle, according to local official Kifah Jaafer.

"There are no schools, no basic services. We're doing what we can to help, but the city lacks everything," he said.

Jaafer, who previously managed an Idlib displacement camp, is now focused on addressing residents' needs as they trickle back.

At the town's edge, Ihab al-Sayid, 30, and his brothers are clearing the collapsed roof of their family home.

In 2017, a Russian air strike left Sayid with severe brain injuries requiring multiple operations.

Now he's back, brewing coffee on a stove while his four-year-old son plays nearby.

"People here are simple," he said. "All we need is security. We came back five days ago to rebuild and start fresh."

The bitter cold settles as the sun sets, but Sayid remains optimistic.

"We've gotten rid of Assad -- that gives us courage."