Libyan army officers infiltrate into Algeria under pretext of monitoring “Daesh”

The Criminal Court of the city of Ouargla (southern Algeria), sentenced on Tuesday in its second regular session for the current year, 7 defendants of Libyan nationality between the ages of 44 and 70 years to four years in prison and to paying a fine of 100 thousand dinars, with confiscation of their loads of weapons of war and their 3 all-terrain vehicles after infiltrating illegally into Algerian territory.

The 7 Accused belong to the Libyan regular army, including two senior officers named Tahih Muhammad Ali aged 58, who is a Director of the military Department and is one of the most important Libyan military officials, and the second is named Chinh Ali Mohammed Abu al-Qasim, a pilot in the Libyan army with the rank of colonel, and the rest of those arrested were traveling with the two above-mentioned officers.

This group of Libyan troops crossed the Libyan border and illegally infiltrated on board three 4*4 vehicles into the Algerian territory but they were swiftly rounded up by units of the People’s National Army.

During the court’s hearing, the latter argued to the presiding judge that they had crossed into Algerian territory for the alleged purpose of monitoring the nefarious activities of the “Daesh” terrorist group in the region as part of a reconnaissance mission.

But after deliberations, the judge discounted the arguments put forth by the accused and duly sentenced them to four years in prison and to a 100 thousand dinar fine in addition to the seizure of their arms and vehicles.