Algerian authorities have detained 21 individuals in connection with an alleged attempt to smuggle weapons into the country, the defense ministry announced on Wednesday.
The operation began on August 4 when a couple, Foussa Zaidi and his wife, were apprehended in Bejaia upon their arrival from Marseille, France. A subsequent search of their vehicle uncovered a cache of weapons, prompting a wider investigation.
Security forces subsequently arrested 19 additional suspects linked to the same terrorist network, according to the ministry. A search of a clandestine weapons cache in the vicinity yielded an even larger haul of firearms and ammunition.
The seized weaponry included 21 firearms, 2,000 live rounds, and military-style clothing. Authorities have accused the group of belonging to the Movement for the Autonomy of Kabylie (MAK), an organization designated as terrorist by the Algerian government.
The defense ministry alleges that the group aimed to disrupt the upcoming presidential elections scheduled for September 7 by sowing chaos and insecurity. Furthermore, the ministry implicated foreign intelligence services in the plot, claiming that a network operating from French territory supplied the weapons.
MAK, formed in 2001 following protests in the Kabylie region, has been a thorn in the side of the Algerian government.Its leader, Ferhat Mehenni, residing in France, received a life sentence in absentia for terrorism-related charges.
The incident has raised questions about how the couple managed to transport the weapons from France undetected and has heightened tensions between Algeria and France.