Abbas Madani placed under house arrest

Algerian security authorities placed fundamentalist leader Abbas Madani under house arrest yesterday and warned him that he would be imprisoned if he left home or contacted anyone.

The Algerian Ministry of Interior stated that Madani, the founder of the outlawed Islamic Salvation Front (FIS), is banned from leaving his house, except to see his family members.

Madani, who said he would campaign for a cease-fire if the authorities agreed to start talks, was freed conditionally in July, halfway through a 12 year imprisonment for political hostile activities, Al Siaysi El Araby weekly said today.