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)
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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.



Airlines Avoid Some Mideast Airspace, Cancel Flights

People walk with their luggage as they arrive at the Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport, in Beirut, Lebanon July 30, 2024. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
People walk with their luggage as they arrive at the Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport, in Beirut, Lebanon July 30, 2024. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
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Airlines Avoid Some Mideast Airspace, Cancel Flights

People walk with their luggage as they arrive at the Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport, in Beirut, Lebanon July 30, 2024. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
People walk with their luggage as they arrive at the Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport, in Beirut, Lebanon July 30, 2024. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir

Airlines are avoiding Iranian and Lebanese airspace and cancelling flights to Israel and Lebanon, as concerns grow over a possible conflict in the region after the killing of senior Hamas and Hezbollah members this week.

Singapore Airlines on Friday appeared to no longer be using Iranian airspace for any of its routes, according to flight tracker Flightradar24.

Taiwan's EVA Air and China Airlines also appeared to be avoiding Iran airspace for flights to Amsterdam on Friday which previously had flown over Iran, Flightradar24 data showed.

In a bulletin, OPSGROUP, a membership-based organization that shares flight risk information, advised traffic between Asia and Europe to avoid Iranian and Iraqi airspace, a day after sources told Reuters that top Iranian officials will meet the representatives of Iran's regional allies from Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen to discuss potential retaliation against Israel.

Many airlines, including US and European airlines, already avoid flying over Iran, especially since the reciprocal missile and drone attacks in April between Iran and Israel.

Singapore Airlines' flight to London Heathrow early on Friday went north of Iran through Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan, rather than crossing through Iran as it did the day before, Flightradar24 showed.

However, a significant number of airlines on Friday were still flying over Iran, including United Arab Emirates carriers Etihad, Emirates and FlyDubai, as well as Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines.

Over the past two days, Air India, Germany's Lufthansa Group, US carriers United Airlines and Delta Air, and Italy's ITA Airways said they had suspended flights to Tel Aviv.

Airlines this week have also been cancelling and delaying flights to the Lebanese capital Beirut after a strike in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Saturday. Israel has blamed the attack on Hezbollah, which denied involvement.

Canada on Thursday issued a notice to Canadian aircraft to avoid Lebanese airspace for one month due to the risk to aviation from military activity.

Britain has for the past month advised pilots of potential risk from anti-aircraft weaponry and military activity in Lebanon's airspace.

Should an all-out war break out in the Middle East, OpsGroup said civil aviation will likely face the risk of drones and missiles crossing airways, as well as the increased risk of GPS spoofing - a growing phenomena around Lebanon and Israel where militaries and other actors broadcast signals that trick a plane's GPS system into thinking it is somewhere it is not.