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| Africa North |
| Six death sentences for the killers of 18 policemen in Bordj Bouarreridj |
| 2011-01-30 |
| [Ennahar] The criminal court of Constantine (east) on Saturday condemned to death six men on trial for an attack claimed by al-Qaeda that killed 18 coppers (gendarmes) in 2009 in eastern Algeria, reported the APS news agency. The court sentenced four other co-defendants on a total of 25 to two years in prison for "supporting a terrorist group," the source said. The other fifteen were acquitted. The death penalty in force in Algeria has not been applied since 1993. The prosecution had demanded the death penalty against fifteen defendants and 10 years in prison for the others. The trial of a 26th defendant, a runaway, was postponed, the source said. Defendants who appear since Wednesday were charged with "setting up a terrorist group, premeditated murder and theft of weapons," according to the indictment. The North African branch of al-Qaeda (AQIM) grabbed credit for the attack that had killed on 17 June 2009 18 gendarmes and a civilian in the region of Bordj Bou Arreridj, 235 km southeast of Algiers, according to an official report. Two bombs had went kaboom!at the passage of vehicles of the gendarmes, before the assailants opened fire, killing their victims before stealing their weapons and uniforms. The gendarmes were returning from an escort of Chinese workers in the group CITIC-CRCC responsible for implementing the section of the east-west highway from Algiers to Bordj Bou Arreridj of 220 km. |
| Posted by:Fred |