The leader of Algeria's main Islamic insurgency movement threatened to target US and French backers of the Algerian government in a video posted on an Islamic Web site.
France was taking the threat seriously, the country's Foreign Ministry said, adding that it is monitoring the activities of the Salafist Group for Call and Combat GSPC). The group recently announced links to al-Qaeda.
"America and France are looting [Algeria's] treasures and taking control over our destinies after the thief [Algerian President Abdelaziz] Bouteflika collaborated with them,"said Abu Musab Abdulwadood, the leader of the GSPC, in the video posted online on Tuesday.
"Just learn, O Bouteflika, along with your aides, the generals and your crusader masters, that we are coming with all God's might," he said.
Authenticity
It was not possible to verify the authenticity of the video message. Excerpts of it were released on the Internet on Saturday, and a full transcript of the 20-minute video appeared on Tuesday.
The group's leader, also known as Abdelmalek Dourkdel, vowed to press on with armed struggle and appealed to Osama bin Laden for instructions.
French anti-terrorism Judge Jean-Louis Bruguiere said such threats were not new.
"For more than a year, now, we have known that the GSPC is allied with al-Qaeda and that one of the targets is France," he told the I-tele news channel on Tuesday.
Jean-Baptiste Mattei, a French foreign ministry spokesman said the government "takes all terrorist threats very seriously."
GSPC operations have been confined to Algeria, but the group claimed responsibility for an attack near Algiers in November on employees of an affiliate of US company Halliburton. French authorities have voiced concerns over potential GSPC cells in Europe.
Union
Al-Qaeda announced its union with the GSPC for the first time in a video in September. Al-Qaeda's No. 2, Ayman al-Zawahri, said he hoped the alliance would work against Western interests, singling out the US and France, which colonized Algeria.
The GSPC is the only substantial group left over from an Islamic insurgency that was triggered in 1992 when the Algerian army stepped in to prevent a likely legislative election victory by the fundamentalist Islamic Salvation Front party. The ensuing fighting left an estimated 150,000 people dead.
The GSPC is now said to number just a few hundred fighters, though scattered attacks blamed on the group are reported nearly every week. It has sought to exploit international links after being cornered by security forces at home, analysts say.
Last week, an Algerian news report said the GSPC's original head, Hassan Hattab, plans to turn himself in to authorities as part of an amnesty program.
Australia has announced an agreement with the tiny Pacific nation Nauru enabling it to send hundreds of immigrants to the barren island. The deal affects more than 220 immigrants in Australia, including some convicted of serious crimes. Australian Minister of Home Affairs Tony Burke signed the memorandum of understanding on a visit to Nauru, the government said in a statement on Friday. “It contains undertakings for the proper treatment and long-term residence of people who have no legal right to stay in Australia, to be received in Nauru,” it said. “Australia will provide funding to underpin this arrangement and support Nauru’s long-term economic
ANGER: Unrest worsened after a taxi driver was killed by a police vehicle on Thursday, as protesters set alight government buildings across the nation Protests worsened overnight across major cities of Indonesia, far beyond the capital, Jakarta, as demonstrators defied Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s call for calm. The most serious unrest was seen in the eastern city of Makassar, while protests also unfolded in Bandung, Surabaya, Solo and Yogyakarta. By yesterday morning, crowds had dispersed in Jakarta. Troops patrolled the streets with tactical vehicles and helped civilians clear trash, although smoke was still rising in various protest sites. Three people died and five were injured in Makassar when protesters set fire to the regional parliament building during a plenary session on Friday evening, according to
‘NEO-NAZIS’: A minister described the rally as ‘spreading hate’ and ‘dividing our communities,’ adding that it had been organized and promoted by far-right groups Thousands of Australians joined anti-immigration rallies across the country yesterday that the center-left government condemned, saying they sought to spread hate and were linked to neo-Nazis. “March for Australia” rallies against immigration were held in Sydney, and other state capitals and regional centers, according to the group’s Web site. “Mass migration has torn at the bonds that held our communities together,” the Web site said. The group posted on X on Saturday that the rallies aimed to do “what the mainstream politicians never have the courage to do: demand an end to mass immigration.” The group also said it was concerned about culture,
CRACKDOWN: The Indonesian president vowed to clamp down on ‘treason and terrorism,’ while acceding to some protest demands to revoke lawmaker benefits Protests in Indonesia over rising living costs and inequality intensified overnight, prompting Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto to cancel a planned trip to China, while demonstrators reportedly targeted the homes of the finance minister and several lawmakers. Rioters entered Indonesian Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani Indrawati’s residence near Jakarta early yesterday, but were repelled by armed forces personnel, Kompas reported. Items were taken from the homes of lawmaker Ahmad Sahroni and two others, according to Detik.com. The reports of looting could not be independently verified, and the finance ministry has not responded to requests for comment. The protests were sparked by outrage over
RSS