Algerian army arrested 17 people on suspicion of “supporting terrorist groups” in Tissemsilt, west of the country……
Algerian army arrested 17 people on suspicion of “supporting terrorist groups” in Tissemsilt, west of the country, which was a stronghold of the Armed Islamic Group, said the defense ministry in a statement on Sunday.
Armed forces have been following the activity of the terror cell since the beginning of last summer, security sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.
“They were raising money for the extremists and providing them with news and information about the movements of army elements in the area in order to kill them in ambushes,” the sources added.
The same sources said that members of the extremist group, of which the arrested used to work for, were “elements from the Armed Islamic Group”.
It is not known exactly how many extremists are still active.
On the other hand, the Ministry of Defense publishes daily news on the arrest of those who support these terror cells, and most of them are young people who receive money to serve terrorists.
In recent months, terrorist cells specializing in sending people to Libya to fight in ISIS ranks have been dismantled.
In this context, the Ministry of Defense said security forces arrested four gold diggers in In Guezzam town, seizing explosive devices, nine motorcycles, 26 generators, 13 pressure hammers, and five metal detectors.
Army forces also detained a smuggler having 3.87 quintals of tobacco paper, according to the Ministry, which added that border guards in the west of the country seized around 64kg of drugs.
Meanwhile, National Gendarmerie elements in Tamanrasset (in far south) arrested a drug dealer with 20 thousand hallucinatory tablets and seven illegal immigrants of different nationalities west of the country.
The Ministry announced Saturday that army forces “arrested three elements for supporting terrorist groups” in Boumerdes.
It pointed out that they arrested six smugglers, two generators, and two motorcycles.
