Algeria: Gendarmerie foils attempt to provide Al-Qaeda with bombs

The National Gendarmerie seized a truck loaded with 188, 5 quintals of smuggled agricultural fertilizers in the beginning of the week in Djelfa province.

According to the National Gendarmerie’s communication cell, the truck driver did not have any invoices to know where the fertilizers come from. “Because of

that, they have likely been smuggled.”

“The seized fertilizers are Potassium nitrate”, said the same sources.

These substances are used to make hand-made bombs and car bombs. They have a strong effect and they were likely going to be taken to bomb workshops of the so-called Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, Echorouk has learnt.

 The National Gendarmerie forces carry out a campaign against bomb smugglers especially Phosphate and chemical substances.

Algerian energy ministry has recently prohibited the marketing of that kind of agricultural fertilizers as they are likely to be used to make bombs.

The noise was tightened on smugglers especially those who deal with agricultural fertilizers and chemical materials after surveillance had been tightened up on western and eastern borders.

 The National Gendarmerie forces have foiled many attempts of smuggling those fertilizers since 2007. A total of 56 tons have been seized and attempts of making hand-made bombs for suicide attacks were foiled in different places of the country.Security investigations on suicide attacks by car bombs in Algeria showed that agricultural fertilizers mainly the Phosphate were used in those attacks.The same type of fertilizers was used by the Armed Islamic Group (GIA). Anti-personal mines were also used to make bombs before Algerian security forces adopted a plan to keep watch on “mines market.”