Algiers court postpones verdict on terrorism-related affair amid all-out confusion

The Algiers criminal court has again decided to put off till a later date the trial of the so-called Rassam group accused of involvement in terrorist activities since the early 90's.

The criminal court was expected to wind-up this terrorism-related affair involving several defendants namely Yakhlef Mourad and Boumezbar Adel who were accused during the inquiry process by the main defendant Dahmoumene Abdelmadjid of belonging to a terrorist unit.

The postponement of the trial which gave rise to the recriminations of the defendants, was decided by the presiding judge on account of the absence of Dahoumene’s lawger  for still unexplained reasons.

It should be noted that representatives of the Canadian Embassy in Algiers were present at the tribunal given that Adel Boumezbar holds Canadian nationality in addition to the Algerian one.

The relatives of the latter have claimed his innocence arguing that Dahoumene Abdelmadjid who is now wanted by US justice in connection with the Rassam terrorism probe, has accused their son wrongly.

They also wrote an urgent letter to the president of the republic Abdellaziz Bouteflika urging him to intervene personally to unravel, through a speedy and fair trial, all the intricacies of this sombre affair.