Reuters AlertNet Lite - Son of Algerian Islamist joins al Qaeda-papers

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Son of Algerian Islamist joins al Qaeda-papers

05 Jun 2007 13:35:03 GMT
Source: Reuters

ALGIERS, June 5 (Reuters) - The youngest son of one of the founders of Algeria's radical Islamist movement has joined al Qaeda's North Africa wing, newspapers reported on Tuesday, citing a video posted on an Islamist Web site used by the group.

The video made by the al Qaeda Organisation in the Islamic Maghreb showed Abdelkahar Belhadj, 18, wearing a military uniform and carrying an AK-47 assault rifle, in a forest clearing with several other armed people.

Abdelkahar Belhadj is a son of Ali Belhadj, former firebrand leader of the now banned Islamic Salvation Front, which was on the point of winning legislative elections in 1992 when the military-backed government scrapped the polls.

The government's action, aimed at stopping what it feared would be an Iranian-style revolution, triggered conflict between Islamist rebels and security forces in which up to 200,000 people have been killed.

There had been no word on the whereabouts of Abdelkahar Benhadj since he left home in October 2006.

His father said he was not sure the videotape broadcast by al-Jazeera TV channel was authentic and he was making further checks. He suggested the authorities use negotiation and not force to end the rebellion.

"These truly are our children who are in the bush," he was quoted as saying by L'Expression newspaper. "What must be done with them? Exterminate all of them? These are our children ... As for me, I say that not all appeals have been exhausted and that, through efforts and much sincerity, we can negotiate and reach a compromise solution..."

Ali Benhadj has been barred from political activity since his release in 2003 from a military prison where he served a 12-year jail term for threatening state security.

But he has repeatedly tried to challenge the authorities, leading to his arrest by police for questioning for a few hours earlier this year.

The violence has subsided sharply in recent years from its 1990s peak, and last year the government freed more than 2,000 former Islamist guerrillas under an amnesty designed to put a definite end to the conflict.

The rebels, previously known as the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC), claimed responsibility for triple suicide bombings that killed 33 people on April 11 in Algiers.

The video, which also said al Qaeda in the Maghreb enrols foreigners, showed recent attacks on police stations that killed six people in Boumerdes province, 50 km (31 miles) east of Algiers.

It also criticised the Moroccan government for what it said was the torture of Islamist militants in the kingdom. Morocco denies it tortures detainees.

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Last updated:Tue Jun 5 13:36:54 2007