Algeria Issues International Warrant against President of MAK

People attempt to put out a fire in the mountainous Tizi Ouzou province (Reuters)
People attempt to put out a fire in the mountainous Tizi Ouzou province (Reuters)
TT

Algeria Issues International Warrant against President of MAK

People attempt to put out a fire in the mountainous Tizi Ouzou province (Reuters)
People attempt to put out a fire in the mountainous Tizi Ouzou province (Reuters)

Algiers' public prosecutor Sid Ahmed Merad issued Thursday an international arrest warrant against the premeditators of Djamel Bensmain's murder in Larbaa Nath Irathen in Tizi-Ouzou, east of Algeria.

The warrants include the arrest of the president of the Movement for the Self-Determination of Kabylia (MAK), Ferhat Mehenni.

The MAK has been classified as a terrorist movement.

Speaking at a press conference held at the headquarters of the Algiers Court to discuss the details of the crime, Merad said that 29 individuals were currently on the run with the issuance of international arrest warrants against some of them.

He called on the countries where these individuals are located to cooperate to extradite them as soon as possible.

The public prosecutor announced that 83 of the 88 persons involved in the murder of Bensmail had been held in temporary detention, including a minor, three women, and 24 MAK members.

The Public Prosecutor highlighted that the investigations revealed the premeditation in the crime and its promotion to create conflict.

Investigations also revealed the existence of systematic framing of the MAK members during the incident and the role of the foreign parties.

Djamel Bensmail was killed on suspicion of his involvement in the wildfires that erupted in the region, an incident that caused great resentment and condemnation in Algeria and abroad.

Earlier, authorities released testimonies of several individuals, including MAK members, who admitted to their involvement in the murder of Bensmail from Ain Defla.

They confessed to beating the victim before dragging, killing, burning, and mutilating him at the Martyr Abane Ramadane Square in downtown Larbaa Nath Irathen.



Israeli Strikes Kill 17 People In Gaza, Nearly all of Them Women or Kids

Palestinian children walk past the rubble of houses, destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, January 7, 2025. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem
Palestinian children walk past the rubble of houses, destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, January 7, 2025. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem
TT

Israeli Strikes Kill 17 People In Gaza, Nearly all of Them Women or Kids

Palestinian children walk past the rubble of houses, destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, January 7, 2025. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem
Palestinian children walk past the rubble of houses, destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, January 7, 2025. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem

Israeli airstrikes in southern Gaza killed at least 17 people late Tuesday, nearly all of them women or children, the territory’s Health Ministry and hospital officials said.
Five kids were killed as they sheltered together in the same tent, said Ahmed al-Farra, director of the children's ward at nearby Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. Their bodies were among the eight children and five women brought to the hospital after strikes on tents, homes and a vehicle. Two bodies were unidentifiable, The Associated Press said.
The Israeli military said it targeted militants who had taken part in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that sparked the war, without providing evidence. Israel said it took steps to lessen the risk of hurting civilians and blamed Hamas for the civilian casualties.
The Israel-Hamas war in Gaza is raging with no end in sight, although there has reportedly been recent progress in long-running talks aimed at a ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
Some Palestinians in the Gaza Strip still have hope the war will end soon. Issam Saqr, a displaced man from Khan Younis, told The Associated Press he hopes the ceasefire “will happen today — before tomorrow!”