Two Moroccan tourists are believed to have been shot dead and another detained by Algerian authorities this week when they accidentally jet skied into the country’s waters.
Survivor Mohamed Kissi said he and four others got lost while exploring the waters off the Moroccan resort town of Saidia on Tuesday night.
“We ran out of fuel for the water scooter and drifted. In the dark, we found ourselves in Algerian waters,” Kissi told local news site le360, according to SkyNews.
“We knew we were in Algeria because a black Algerian canoe came towards us [and] shoot us,” he said, the BBC reported.
Kissi said his 29-year-old brother, Bilal, and another man, Abdelali Mechouar, 40, were killed in the terrifying encounter.
“They arrested my other friend [Smail Snabe]. Five bullets hit my brother and my friend. My other friend was hit by a bullet,” he claimed.
Two men were shot dead by Algerian authorities when they strayed into the country’s waters on a jet ski, survivors claim.TikTok/rahimtravel6
Kissi denied that the five men tried to flee when they entered Algerian territory, and insisted that the authorities shot them even after seeing that they were unarmed and speaking briefly to his brother, the BBC said.
After the shooting, he had to swim back towards Morocco before finally being picked up by the navy, Kissi claimed.
As of Friday, there were no reports on the status of the other surviving victims who were not detained.
Snabe is believed to have appeared before Algerian prosecutors on Wednesday, although no details have been confirmed, the BBC reported.
People attended the funeral of Bilal Kissi on Wednesday.AP
The alleged incident sparked outrage in Morocco after a fisherman posted a video of Bilal’s body in the water, the outlet added.
His remains were finally brought and buried in Oujda on Wednesday, Kissi said.
Mechouar’s father, Mustafa, said he believed his son was dead, and wanted to take his remains to give him a proper burial.
The border between Morocco and Algeria has been closed since 1994. FRANCE 24
“I appeal to the Moroccan and Algerian authorities to reach an agreement to bring my son back to me to observe a proper funeral and burial for him,” he pleaded.
The 1,200-mile border between Algeria and Morocco has been closed since 1994, the BBC explains.
Algeria cut diplomatic ties when it accused Rabat of hostile activities in 2021.
Moroccan authorities declined to comment on Kissi’s allegations, saying the case was a judicial concern.
The alleged incident has sparked outrage in Morocco, although the government has declined to comment on it.TikTok/rahimtravel6
Algeria’s navy and foreign ministry also did not address the report.
Kissi, his brother and Snabe have dual Moroccan and French citizenship, local media said.
The French Foreign Ministry confirmed that it is aware of the death of a citizen, and is in contact with both the family and the authorities in Morocco.
With Postal wire
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
