Threats made by Algerian groups raise confusion in Belgium
Algeria-Belgium, Politics, 6/29/1999

The Belgian government on Monday called on various emergency "cells" for a meeting, taking seriously into account the threats proclaimed the Algerian Armed Islamic Group (GIA) of carrying out "a bath of blood" if Belgium does not release detained Islamists within 20 days.

The Belgian government also denied approving the handing over of members of the GIA to France. On Sunday, the GIA said in a statement, a copy of which was sent to the London-based al-Hayat daily, that it would carry out bloody attacks in Belgium if Islamists detained in Belgian prisons are not freed or handed over by Brussels to Paris.

The GIA statement expressed "warning to Belgium to give up torturing al-Mujahideen (the armed men)" and gave Belgium a grace period of 20 days to carry out the conditions of "lifting the torture from our brothers, bringing back the evacuees among those Islamists and lifting house-arrest from activist Islamists."

The statement claimed that that Brussels has given up an agreement concluded in 1996 which called for working to avoid damage to the GIA's members against obligations made by the Islamists not to do harm to Belgium.

Belgian Minister of the Interior Luc van den Bossch denied the existence of such an agreement.

The threats proclaimed by the Algerian Islamists raised confusion. The Belgian government called for setting up several work cells including all departments concerned at the Ministry of the Interior. The Belgian government also made contacts with police departments abroad, especially with the French police.

Van den Bossch said "Nothing can be ruled out," concerning the threats of the Islamists. A spokesman for the Belgian police force said that concerned security groups "will meet to evaluate the threats, especially if such threats should be taken into real consideration and seriously."

The Belgian Ministry of Justice said that Islamist activists Bin lbrahim Buderyah, and Abdul Fadel al-Maja ,who were sentenced in Belgium in 1996 under charges of having weapons, where handed over in March to France where they were also sentenced to imprisonment.

A spokesman for the ministry said that the Belgian authorities expressed on September 15, 1998 their consent to hand over Fareed Mallouk to France but after he completes his prison term on March 31, 2007. Mallouk (33), an Algerian of French origin, was sentenced to nine years in prison under charges of attempting to kill, possessing explosives and banned weapons.

He was sentenced in absentia to seven years imprisonment in Paris in February 18, 1998 for his participation in a network which provided logistic support for the GIA and which was involved in a series of bloody attacks in France in 1995.

Previous Stories:
  Algerian - Moroccan borders to opened in August   (6/25/1999)
  French minister of interior visits Algeria to rectify atmosphere   (6/19/1999)
  Italian sailors killers sentenced   (6/17/1999)
  Killings continue in Algeria   (6/11/1999)

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