Spanish engineer reported missing near Ouargla, DZ

[Chris Scott]

Ennahar Online - A Spanish engineer disappeared in the desert of Ouargla

AFAIK foreign workers around here aren't allowed to even go out of the compound without drivers and guards, so if it's true it could be more than lost in the desert.

Ch

[Ulrich]

The never ending story:

Algiers, Asharq Al-Awsat - Algerian security forces are investigating the disappearance of an Israeli national in the Sahara desert and there are concerns that Al Qaeda in the Islamist Maghreb, the Al Qaeda wing of North Africa, kidnapped him.

Echorouk - Algerian Investigators: Al Qaeda in Islamist Maghreb kidnapped Israeli

Ulrich

[Ulrich]

and

The family of the Israeli man missing in North Africa notified the Foreign Ministry on Friday that he contacted them, an Israeli source reported.

The news comes after the man was missing for several days, and a report in the London-based pan Arab daily ASharq al-Awsat said the Israeli was abducted by al-Qaida.

Haaretz.com - Israeli feared abducted by al-Qaida contacts his family

[priffe]

Yes, fear of kidnapping is akin to fear of flying - risk of injury or death is higher in your car en route.
Haaretz writes that 12 foreigners were kidnapped over the last three years, but I think it all took place in Mauritania, Niger, Mali and Tunisia. Algeria has been peaceful, sort of.
Some confusion over this Spaniard/Israeli.

[Dave The Hat]

This is Chris Scotts post from a few days ago.....seems like it could be the same guy?

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...ing-near-49176

[priffe]

Yep, same dude. Questionss as to his identity and what he was actually doing there.

[Ulrich]

Mysterious case

Algiers-The Algerian security services have arrested an Israeli, declared lost in North Africa for five days and who would have entered in Algeria with a false Spanish passport.

Ennahar - An Israeli spy arrested in Algeria

Ulrich

[Chris Scott]

Merged to save confusion. (not sure it will help!).

As I speculated elsewhere, ennahar does have a pretty 'tabloid' imagination by Maghrebi media standards (not that I know them all by heart).

Some of you will have spotted this popular report on there from a year ago, which I only just bothered reading but which has plenty of reader support.
Ennahar Online - Algerians and Moroccans in El Qaida training camps in Israel

AFAICU, it claims Mossad is recruiting and training people to send to AQIM.
"... for possible terrorist operations against the interests of foreign countries in the Arab countries who are regarded by Israel as a threat to its security"

Can't work out if
"the interests of foreign countries in the Arab countries"
means for example Shell in Algeria,

or if it means
"... interests of foreign countries in the Arab World"
which would mean Alg, Libya, etc.

Who knows what the current story is really about - inflitrating GSPC to help them wreak havoc or to undermine them? - but you suspect it may be trying to capitalise on current Israeli unpopularity wrt whatever snub Hilary Clinton received a few weeks ago (missed the full story) and of course the Brit-passport cloning/Dubai assassination saga.

Maybe it was just a chancer backpacker who forgot to get off the bus in Ghardaia...

Ch

[priffe]

Originally Posted by Chris Scott

Maybe it was just a chancer backpacker who forgot to get off the bus in Ghardaia...
Ch

Sounds more likely than it being a Mossad operation!...the Ennahar article goes along with the widespread notion in the Arab world that jews were behind 9/11.
In a world of paranoia it is important to stand for reason. Al Qaeda is likely not a CIA/Jewish conspiracy.

[Dave The Hat]

Further news:

Ennahar Online - Details on the arrested Israeli spy in Hassi Messaoud

[famous_walker]

Saw the Ennahar article. Not sure I have much trust in a story which draws information from 'corroborating sources' I must say. But there's another line that puzzled me: 'Both hotels are owned by private and are not classified'. Are there hotels in Algeria which are "classified"? What does that mean? Sorry for an off-topic question.

Peter

[Chris Scott]

There's a lot of dodgy or lazy journalism going on out there, not just Ennahar.

Haaretz (Israel News) writes "... Al-Qaida has abducted 12 foreign citizens in the last three years in the areas of Algeria and Morocco..."
Or maybe they just missed out the 'not'. (Oops, just noticed this was mentioned earlier).

Re not classified, it could mean basic places where dont ask for details (reg cards) when you check in. Just guessing. I think the doss house we stayed at in HM one time was like that.

If this guy is Mossad, he's not the cream of the crop.
Asking the price of semolina! What was he thinking?

Ch

PS
...fear of kidnapping is akin to fear of flying
I recall this debate on here before but if you take the number of overlanders who drove into Mori last year and got nabbed I would guess it is many times higher than 44/100,000.
Conspicuity is the problem. What tourism is left is being ruined, and that's without a Ghadafi type figure blowing hot and cold.

[priffe]

This guy could be a crackpot. Time may tell.

As for the numbers, dunno about 'overlanders', but if they issued 20000 visas last year (slight guesswork here, they were doing around 100 per working day when I was in Rabat) and 5 got 'nabbed', as you put it, it would be about the same risk. And 5 was more than average for Mauri I believe.

[Ulrich]

Algiers, according to corroborating sources, the Israeli spy who was arrested by Algerian security services in downtown Hassi Messaoud, is named Alberto and aged 35. He would have entered in Algeria with a false Spanish passport.

Ennahar - Details on the arrested Israeli spy in Hassi Messaoud

Ulrich

[Ulrich]

Hassi Messaoud (Algeria)- According to corroborating sources, the Israeli spy arrested during the curent month in the neighbourhood « Cité des 1850 logements » in Hassi Messaoud, have succeeded to enter the oil zone thnaks to the help provided by four egyptian executives who work in the Egyptian Orascom Construction, a branch of Orascom Company specialized in construction, and has a design office in the area indicated above.

Ennahar - Four Egyptians have helped the Israeli spy in Hassi Messaoud

Ulrich