Jet skiers' refusal to comply led to shooting: Algerian MoD

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
4 Sep 2023 00:03

The Algerian Ministry of Defense issues a clarification about an incident that saw a group of jet skiers infiltrating the country’s territorial waters.

An Algerian soldier walks on the Algerian side of the Algeria-Morocco border (AFP)

Algeria confirmed on Sunday that its security forces had opened fire this week after a group of jet skiers from Morocco ignored warning shots and refused to comply with orders to stop.

"During a security patrol inside our territorial waters, a coastguard unit intercepted on Tuesday at 7:47 pm (18:47 GMT), three jet skis that clandestinely entered our territorial waters," an Algeria Defense Ministry press release announced.

"After issuing an audible warning and ordering them to stop several times, the suspects refused to comply and fled," the press release added of Tuesday's incident in which two tourists were killed.

The Defense Ministry indicated that after several warning rounds, "shots were fired, forcing one of the jet skis to stop, and the other two fled."

It explained that the shootings happened "because of increased activity by drugs-trafficking gangs and organized crime" in the border zone, and because of "the obstinacy of those on the jet skis."

The statement noted that one body "of an unidentified man with a gunshot wound" was recovered on Wednesday, adding that his body was taken to Tlemcen for an autopsy.

The Ministry's statement emphasized that people should "not pay attention to false information that aims to sully the honorable image of the Algerian forces."

This comes as reports from Morocco said a French-Moroccan and his Moroccan cousin were killed, while a third man was wounded and detained in Algeria.

Moroccan media cited a man, who had also been in the group, as saying that they got lost and ran out of fuel after leaving the Moroccan resort of Saidia, near the border with Algeria.

The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs also announced in a statement on Friday the death of one of its citizens and the imprisonment of another citizen in Algeria, noting that its Crisis and Support Center, in addition to its embassies in Morocco and Algeria, are in close contact with the families of the French citizens.