ALGIERS, 29 October 2004 — One of North Africa’s most wanted Islamic militant leaders, accused in the kidnapping of 32 European tourists last year, has been taken into custody in Algeria, authorities said yesterday. “Amar Saifi was intercepted in Libya near the Chadian-Libyan border. He is wanted in Algeria for numerous terrorist crimes which he has committed or commanded since 1992,” the Interior Ministry said in a statement.
Saifi — identified by authorities as the second in command of the Al-Qaeda-aligned Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) — was first captured by Chadian rebels in northern Chad in March after fleeing neighboring countries. Bringing the former paratrooper and Afghan fighter to trial would deal a significant blow to the GSPC, which is fighting for the establishment of a purist Islamic state in Algeria and is listed by the United States as a terrorist organization.
