Suspect in Fatal Algerian Lynching Arrested Fleeing to Morocco Amid Deadly Wildfires

The events took place last Wednesday. After leaving his home to help extinguish the forest fires ravaging northern Algeria, Djamel Bensmail is suspected of having tried to start a fire near Larbaâ Nath Irathen. The police take him away. As soon as the police vehicle reached the police station courtyard, an angry crowd attacked Djamel. He was beaten and lynched to death.

The death of the young man shocked many Algerians. An investigation has been opened into the circumstances of this "odious" crime, in order to identify the perpetrators of the lynching. On Sunday, Mohamed Chakour, director general of the judicial police at the Directorate General of National Security (DGSN), communicated the first results of the investigation during a press conference. A total of 36 suspects were arrested. Mohamed Chakour said that the main suspect in Djamel’s death was arrested while trying to flee to Morocco. He had stabbed the victim. "The videos published by citizens on social networks have greatly helped the investigators," said the official.