Among them are suspects who appeared in a video clip repeating the phrase, “Red, God willing.”
The Prosecution Office of the National Criminal Court for Combating Terrorism and Organized Crime at the Sidi M’hamed Court dealt with 3 cases related to crimes of setting fires in forest property in the state of Jijel.
The first case relates, according to a statement from the same judicial authority on Thursday, to the so-called Boushama Khaled, Ben Qara Ismail, and Bouchloukh Murad deliberately setting fire to the municipality of Al-Shaqfa in Jijel Province.
The flames spread to the areas of Jomaa Beni Habibi, Tagrasset, Bordj El Tahr, Bou Asfour, Ashmid, Ouled Askar and Al Shihna.
The statement indicated that the preliminary investigation and scientific expertise concluded that the fire started from the place where the suspects were located, pointing to their frank admission of this.
As for the second case, it relates to the so-called Mahsoul Boualem deliberately setting a fire in the middle of the Makharta forest, in the municipality of Salma Ben Ziada.
The accused brought a candle and divided it into two parts, before lighting it in two different places, after preparing it so that it would not be extinguished by the wind.
This has been proven through scientific expertise and the frank confession of the suspect during the preliminary investigation, the statement says.
In the third case, Zuait Muhammad Al-Arabi, Zuait Zakaria, Zuait Ismail, Zuait Abu Bakr, and Zuait Ayoub set fire to an orchard in the Mishna Al-Ramliyya area in the municipality of Burawi Belhadif.
The prosecution statement stated that it had retrieved a video clip, showing the aforementioned suspects repeating the phrase, “Red, God willing.”
The members of the criminal network, including 9 defendants, were arrested following the preliminary investigation carried out by the Search and Investigation Service of the National Gendarmerie in Jijel.
The investigation concluded that they set fire to the forest property. To be followed up for:
- The misdemeanor of committing acts of sabotage aimed at endangering people’s lives, security, and property.
- The felony of intentionally setting fire to state forest property.
After questioning the defendants by the investigating judge, the latter issued orders to place them in temporary detention, the same statement added.
