Algeria: jamming devices to protect official headquarters from mobile phone bombs

A large number of sensitive governmental institutions in Algeria have been provided with mobile phone jamming devices to foil terrorist attacks, according to well-informed sources.

• The same sources said the devices which were imported from South Africa constituted prevention measures.
• A number of the devices were set up all around the different institutions including main security centres to not allow the use of mobile phones in terrorist explosions.
• Those devices are used in most countries in the world to ensure the safety of big official institutions or secure officials’ visits. They are also used to disturb phone calls between terrorists as well as localisation of the call places.
• Algeria has been provided with those equipments since 2006. Prisons were the first to be supplied with them to cut contact between terrorists and armed groups outside prisons.
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• Few months ago, the suicide bomber who attempted to attack a police barracks in Algiers had made a call from an unknown SIM card few minutes before the foiled attack.
• A number of people who take ways around some headquarters notice a total absence of mobile phone coverage due to the jamming devices.