In Algeria, twenty-one people were arrested following an attempted weapon smuggling on a ferry from France, according to the defense ministry. The arrests were reported on Wednesday.
The initial arrests occurred on August 4 in Bejaia, 220 km east of Algiers. Foussa Zaidi and his wife were detained after weapons were discovered in their car arriving from Marseille.
Nineteen more members of the same network were arrested, with a significant cache of weapons found near Bejaia. The group is linked to the Movement for the Autonomy of Kabylie (MAK), deemed a terrorist organization.
A total of 21 weapons, 2,000 bullets, and military-like clothing were seized. It’s unclear how the couple managed to transport the weapons from France in their grey Citroen mini-van.
The group’s goal was to disrupt the presidential elections on September 7. The defense ministry also accused foreign intelligence services of complicity, claiming the weapons were provided by a network operating in France.
