Samraoui has a hand in Algerian diplomat murder, says Aboud

Hichem Aboud, a journalist and a former military officer in the Algerian army said he firmly believes in the innocence of Algerian diplomat Mohamed Ziane Hassani detained in France for a 1987 murder.

• Aboud accuses former member of the Algerian intelligence Mohamed Samraoui of having a hand in the killing of Ali Mecili, an Algerian opposition figure.
• “A total of 80 million French francs were given to the killer under Samraoui’s cover,” he told Echorouk.
• He also said he is ready to defy Samraoui and urges the government to suspend the international arrest warrant issued against him by Algerian justice to allow him enter the French territory.
• “An intelligence officer can not commit a murder alone abroad or inside Algeria against a well-known lawyer and politician like Mecili,” he asserted.
• He believes the crime was prepared by a group along with Samraoui who played an “important” role.
• On the other hand, Mohamed Samraoui denied giving  new testimonies in court on the murder case.
• “I appeared in court in 2003, and it was the first and last time,” he told Echorouk.
• “I don’t care about what Hichem Aboud says or anyone else, he said in response to Aboud’s remarks.