An Algerian newspaper reports a local al-Qaeda cell planned to launch boats loaded with explosives at US and European ships with aid of suicide bombers.
Algerian security forces have thwarted a terrorist suicide attack by the “al-Qaeda organization in the Maghreb” targeting European and American ships in the Mediterranean, Algeria-based daily e-Chorouk reported.
According to the report, three people were arrested over suspected involvement in the plot, H. Rabeh, T. Belal, and M. Tarek — who all hail from the city of Annaba in northeastern Algeria. They admitted that they were operating under the authority of Maghreb-based al-Qaeda PR chief, Qassemi Salah al-Din, also known as Mohamed Abu Salah.
The terror cell they were members of purchased a boat and equipped it with navigational equipment. They planned on loading the boat with explosives and launching it towards American and European vessels, according to the suicide bombers’ preferences.
The newspaper reported that the three were arrested after they aroused suspicions by visiting the same internet cafes on a daily basis where they would surf global Jihad websites. Eventually, security forces specializing in cyber-crimes traced them.
The plot was also set to “undermine the national economy and reverberate in the global media” by offering media outlets real-time information.
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