The court of Batna starts hearing the main convicts in the the failed assassination attempt against the Algerian president .
Amid stringent security measures, the court of Batna, eastern Algeria, has yesterday morning started hearing 12 individuals implicated in the attempted assassination against the Algerian president Abdelaziz Bouteflika by the suicide bomber Houari Belazrag in September 6, 2006 causing 26 dead and 172 injuries.
- The main convict ( Z. Walid) has stuck to his denial of the accusations against him and related a new version that contradicts the revelations made earlier to the investigators, indicating that he met with leader of the “ death squad”, Ali Mehira, on September 6 ,thorough the terrorist “ Chorki Abdelmalek”, and gave him a lift in the “ Ford” that belongs to D. Mohammed Al Amine to bring him downtown.
- Z. Walid has forcefully denied driving his brother’s car ( Ciello) arguing that he doesn’t master driving since he doesn’t have a driving license; ruling out, thus the revelation made in the past.
- The convict has made several contradictory declarations during the hearing session especially when he denied any contact with “ Abu Mokdad Al Ouahrani” before mentioning his full name, noting that he was informed by the Ali Mehira that the kamikaze has called on him on the phone at around 10 pm right after the operation mentioning the name of Abu Mokdad Al Ouhrani”.
- But the public prosecutor has immediately reacted to this declaration saying that he was impossible fir him to get in touch on the phone with anybody since the lines were cut soon after the attack.
- He further asked the convict to give him a detailed physical description of the leader Ali Mehira, who was supposed to be with him the day of the attack, and replied that this one was a tall white man with moustaches, but the prosecutor cut him short saying that testimonies confirm that the man who in your company at that day was black-brown and didn’t bear moustaches, making allusion to the revelation made by the owner of the “Ford.”
- The prosecutor then, showed the photo of the kamikaze to the minor ,who took part to the plot, asking him whether he was in the company of Z. Walid; the boy has immediately recognized the man on the photo conforming his presence with Z. Walid and him the day of the attack.
- The revelations made by the minor have contradicted the main convict’s assertions that he was in the company of Ali Mehira the day the attack was carried out.
- The first hearing session is due to run until next Sunday on account of the seriousness of the case.