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Algerian authorities have arrested 61 Moroccan nationals, including a former Moroccan army soldier, on suspicion of planning acts of sabotage, the country’s General Directorate of National Security (DGSN) said on Sunday.
In a statement carried by state media, the DGSN described the suspects as members of an “international Moroccan criminal network” but provided no details of the alleged plot.
The suspects were allegedly preparing to carry out acts of sabotage that could threaten national security and public order, the agency said.
According to the statement, they entered Algeria through mountain trails from neighbouring Tunisia.
The arrests come amid longstanding tensions between Algeria and Morocco. The two North African neighbours have kept their shared land border closed since 1994, and Algeria severed diplomatic relations with Morocco in 2021.
The countries have long been at odds over Western Sahara, a mineral-rich former Spanish colony that Morocco has largely controlled since 1975. The United Nations considers the territory non-self-governing.
Morocco regards Western Sahara as part of its territory, while Algeria supports the pro-independence Polisario Front and its demand for self-determination.
Source : Arab News