There has been a recent upsurge in terrorist incidents in Algeria. The most significant of these incidents — in terms of both domestic and international publicity — was the 26 February attack on the Bab el Kantara police station in the 13th arrondissement de Constantine, about 300 metres from the military headquarters of the 5th Military region. A suicide bomber tried to enter the police station, but was stopped and shot dead by a policeman on duty. His suicide vest was detonated, wounding two policemen, but not critically.

The impression being given through reports from the Ministry of Defence and other state sources is that the bomber was linked to a small group of terrorists, supposedly Islamic State (IS), that have been hiding out in the Djebel El Ouahch forest above Constantine. This is the group that is alleged to have killed a police officer some months ago while he was sitting in a café in nearby Ziadia, north of the city. According to news agencies, IS claimed responsibility for the attack through Amaq, a supposed jihadist website.

According to the alleged communiqué, the suicide bomber was Abou El Hassan Ali. Algerian state officials named him as B. Azzeddine, a 33-year old from Bordj Ghdir, in the wilaya of Bordj Bou-Arréridj. According to these sources he was unknown to the security services.

The message being given in most government–oriented media is that the attack, coming in the week after the Bouïra operation (see Algeria Politics & Security – 24.02.17), was a message from IS, or groups in the nearby mountains, to say that ‘we are still here and can still make such attacks’.

In the opinion of our local sources in Constantine — as well as our own analysis of the current terrorism situation — things are, however, rather different. Firstly, although our local sources did not give us the bomber’s name, he was apparently well-known locally….. [continued]