Algeria Arrests Three Moroccans on Jet Ski

The Algerian military announced on Wednesday that the Coast Guard had arrested three Moroccans on a jet ski in the border territorial waters near Marsa Ben Mehidi, an area where two Moroccans were killed in August. The Algerian Ministry of Defense stated in a press release: "During a patrol for monitoring and securing our territorial waters, a Coast Guard patrol stopped three individuals on a jet ski who had breached our territorial waters approximately seven nautical miles north of the Marsa Ben Mehidi beach," which borders Saidia beach in Morocco. The statement continued: "Initial investigations, which are still ongoing, revealed that the arrested individuals hold Moroccan nationality." The Ministry of Defense described this border maritime area as "witnessing intense activity from drug trafficking gangs, organized crime, and illegal immigration." On August 29, Abdel Ali Michwar, a 40-year-old Moroccan residing in France, and his cousin Bilal Qaisi, a 29-year-old Franco-Moroccan, were killed when Algerian coast guards opened fire on them in Algerian territorial waters.