Algeria’s General Directorate of National Security (DGSN) announced Sunday that authorities had arrested 61 Moroccan nationals earlier this month on suspicion of planning “acts of sabotage” undermining security and public order, per Arab News. The group, described as an “international Moroccan criminal network” and said to include a former soldier in the Moroccan army, allegedly entered Algeria via mountain trails from neighboring Tunisia. Relations between the two countries have been strained for years, their shared land border closed since 1994, with Algiers severing diplomatic relations in 2021; the two remain at odds over Western Sahara.
Algeria arrests 61 Moroccans over alleged sabotage plots
Algeria says it arrested 61 Moroccan nationals earlier this month for allegedly plotting sabotage, describing them as an 'international Moroccan criminal network' that entered via mountain trails from Tunisia.
Why it matters: The mass arrest sharpens the long-running Algeria-Morocco standoff, with the land border closed since 1994 and diplomatic ties severed since 2021, and lands as Western Sahara remains the core dispute.
Data as of Sunday, October 11, 2026; the Arab News article was opened and read in full. Single-sourced: the arrests, the network claim, and the Tunisia entry route are all from Algeria's DGSN statement carried by public media; Morocco has not responded. Treat as Algiers' account until independently corroborated.
Sources
- Algeria arrests 61 Moroccans accused of planning 'acts of sabotage' · Arab News · 2026-10-11