Algeria has arrested 27 individuals suspected of belonging to a separatist movement that the government has designated as a terrorist organization, following attacks in two towns in the northern part of the country, police reported on Monday. The police stated that all detainees are suspected of being affiliated with the Movement for the Self-Determination of Kabylie, abbreviated as (MAK), a group seeking the independence of the Amazigh-speaking region.
Support from Morocco for the movement was one of the reasons cited by Algeria when it severed diplomatic relations with the kingdom at the end of last month. The police stated in a statement that the 27 individuals were arrested for attempting to "incite discord and terror among citizens… on orders from foreign entities." They added that the suspects resorted to methods of assault and robbery on citizens' stores.
The statement indicated that the attacks and arrests occurred in the northern towns of Kherrata and Beni Watilane within the past forty-eight hours, but did not provide further details. It included that several security personnel were injured while intervening to protect citizens and their property.
The police found "military clothing remnants," white weapons, forged seals, and mobile phones after searching the detainees' homes. The government has blamed the movement, which was designated a terrorist organization by Algeria last year, for the devastating wildfires that resulted in at least 65 deaths in the Kabylie region east of the capital last month. The movement, which is led from France, denies any involvement in these events.
