Oran: 61 Moroccan nationals arrested, a network accused of preparing “acts of sabotage”

R. Amrani — Alger, Algérie — 2026-10-12

The General Directorate of National Security announced on Sunday 11 October 2026 the arrest of 61 people of Moroccan nationality in the wilaya of Oran, “in early October”, and the referral of all the suspects to the public prosecutor at the specialised criminal division of Oran. No information has been published on the exact nature of the acts prepared, nor on what became of the persons concerned.

1. What was announced, and by whom

The announcement consists of a single press release from the General Directorate of National Security (DGSN), issued on Sunday 11 October 2026 and taken up by the APS news agency and then by the public press. Radio Algérienne put it online at 18:36, Algérie360 at 19:32, L'Espoir Libéré at 19:43; Horizons gave an English version at 22:45.

The official text is short. According to the DGSN, “the national security services dismantled an international Moroccan criminal network, whose members were operating on national territory, and proceeded to the arrest of 61 individuals of Moroccan nationality who were preparing to commit acts of sabotage affecting public security and order in the country”.

The operation is attributed to the criminal investigation service of the security directorate of the wilaya of Oran and placed, according to the press release, “under the supervision of the competent prosecutor's office”. The figure — 61 — is identical in every take-up consulted, in French as well as in Arabic.

Exact date of the arrests: not published — the press release says “early October”. Date of the announcement: Sunday 11 October 2026.

2. What is alleged, in the words of the official text

The press release uses a single description: the “act of sabotage”. The members of the network “were planning to carry out acts of sabotage”; the persons arrested “were preparing to commit acts of sabotage affecting public security and order”. Ennahar Online (Arabic) writes “a'mal takhribiya” — acts of sabotage; Ultra Algeria, “sabotage plans” targeting “security and public order in Algeria”.

None of the official texts consulted uses a more serious description than the “act of sabotage”. We therefore hold strictly to that word.

The press release says nothing about the targets, the means, the timetable or the instigator — the Moroccan press notes this too (Tel Quel, 12 October). The only individual element published: the presence, among the 61, of “a former soldier of the Moroccan army”. No name, no rank, no unit.

3. The route described: arrival in Tunis, crossing at El Kala, road to Oran

On the mode of entry, the press release is more precise than on the acts alleged. It states that the suspects “had infiltrated national territory after arriving by air at Tunis international airport”, then that they used “the rugged mountain tracks and isolated forest trails of the El Kala region, in the wilaya of El Tarf, on the border with Tunisia, before moving overland towards the wilaya of Oran”.

The description is reproduced identically by all the Algerian media consulted; Horizons writes: “After flying into Tunis, the operatives crossed the border near El Kala on foot, navigating rugged mountain paths and dense forest trails before making their way west to Oran.”

Missing detail: no crossing point, no locality, no date of crossing. No Tunisian authority has spoken in the sources consulted.

4. The judicial follow-up

The press release states two things.

First the seizure: “the seizure and recovery of Moroccan passports, as well as sums of money in Moroccan dirhams and euros”. No number of passports, no amounts, no other items.

Then the proceedings: “the suspects were brought before the public prosecutor at the specialised criminal division of Oran”. What the press release does not say: whether they were charged, remanded in custody or released, and the charges retained. Horizons writes in English that the 61 suspects were “remanded” before the specialised court — the newspaper's wording, not the press release's; we do not adopt it as a fact.

5. What the Moroccan press says

Two Moroccan outlets dispute the case. Tel Quel (12 October) writes that the DGSN “gave no details on the actions it claims were planned”. Le360 publishes a political commentary column, whose existence we report without adopting its descriptions.

Official Moroccan reaction: none found as of 11 October 2026 — no government statement, no declaration by a named official.

6. WHAT WE HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO ESTABLISH

  • The exact nature of the acts prepared: no target, no means, no place of execution, no timetable. The press release does not describe them; AFP, quoted by Tel Quel, notes this too.
  • The exact date of the arrests: “early October 2026”, without a day.
  • The exact place of the arrests: the wilaya of Oran, without a commune or an address.
  • The judicial status of the 61 people: referral to the prosecutor established; charges, pre-trial detention and the offences retained not established.
  • The number of passports seized and the amounts seized: not published.
  • The identity, rank and unit of the former Moroccan soldier: not published.
  • Any official Moroccan or Tunisian reaction: none found.
  • A link with another case: none established, and we suggest none.
  • The question of passports issued to Israeli agents: none of the sources consulted establishes it, in any form — no document, no press release, no named official statement. We therefore do not write it as a fact. The only “passport” element documented by an official text is the seizure of Moroccan passports mentioned in point 4.

We have visited no site, questioned no person, consulted no judicial file. This case rests on public sources opened one by one, named with their date and their URL.

R. Amrani — Alger, Algérie

📚 COMPLETE BIBLIOGRAPHY (rule no. 19)

1. Radio Algérienne (fr), « Démantèlement d'un réseau criminel international marocain qui préparait des actes de sabotage sur le territoire national », 11 October 2026, 18:36 — DGSN press release, APS source; quotation of the press release, mode of entry (Tunis, El Kala, El Tarf), seizure of Moroccan passports and foreign currency, referral to the public prosecutor at the specialised criminal division of Oran — https://news.radioalgerie.dz/fr/node/96239

2. Horizons (en), « The Police bust Moroccan sabotage ring in Oran », 11 October 2026, 22:45 — English version; « all 61 suspects being remanded to Oran's specialized criminal court under prosecutor supervision » — https://www.horizons.dz/language/en/2026/10/the-police-bust-moroccan-sabotage-ring-in-oran/

3. Algérie360 (fr), « Oran : 61 Marocains arrêtés, un réseau criminel international démantelé », 11 October 2026, 19:32, Zakaria Benhammadi — “early October”, Oran criminal investigation police, Tunis/El Kala route, seizures, referral to the specialised criminal division — https://www.algerie360.com/oran-marocains-arretes-reseau-criminel-demantele/

4. AL24 News (fr), « Démantèlement d'un réseau criminel organisé et arrestation de 61 ressortissants marocains », 11-12 October 2026 — take-up of the DGSN press release; 61 Moroccan nationals, “acts of sabotage” — https://al24news.dz/fr/demantelement-dun-reseau-criminel-organise-et-arrestation-de-61-ressortissants-marocains/

5. Le Courrier d'Algérie (fr), « 61 RESSORTISSANTS MAROCAINS S'APPRÊTAIENT à COMMETTRE DES ACTES DE SABOTAGE ARRÊTÉS : L'Algérie déjoue un plan de déstabilisation », 11 October 2026 — take-up of the press release; “the events go back to the beginning of October”; a former member of the Moroccan army — http://lecourrier-dalgerie.com/61-ressortissants-marocains-sappretaient-a-commettre-des-actes-de-sabotage-arretes-lalgerie-dejoue-un-plan-de-destabilisation/

6. Ennahar Online (ar), « توقيف 61 مغربيًا كانوا بصدد التحضير لأعمال تخريبية في الجزائر », 11 October 2026 — « أعمال تخريبية » (acts of sabotage); « بداية شهر أكتوبر »; « جوازات سفر مغربية » and currency in dirhams and euros; « وكيل الجمهورية لدى القطب الجزائي المتخصص بوهران » — https://www.ennaharonline.com/%d8%aa%d9%88%d9%82%d9%8a%d9%81-61-%d9%85%d8%ba%d8%b1%d8%a8%d9%8a%d8%a7-%d9%83%d8%a7%d9%86%d9%88%d8%a7-%d8%a8%d8%b5%d8%af%d8%af-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%aa%d8%ad%d8%b6%d9%8a%d8%b1-%d9%84%d8%a3%d8%b9%d9%85%d8%a7/

7. Ultra Algeria (ar), « بينهم عسكريٌ سابق.. الأمن الوطني يوقف 61 مغربيًا في وهران », 11 October 2026, 21:27 — DGSN; network of 61 people; « أعمال تخريبية تستهدف الأمن والنظام العام »; El Kala/El Tarf route; referral to the specialised prosecutor's office of Oran — https://ultraalgeria.ultrasawt.com/%D8%A8%D9%8A%D9%86%D9%87%D9%85-%D8%B9%D8%B3%D9%83%D8%B1%D9%8A%D9%8C-%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%A8%D9%82-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%88%D8%B7%D9%86%D9%8A-%D9%8A%D9%88%D9%82%D9%81-61-%D9%85%D8%BA%D8%B1%D8%A8%D9%8A%D9%8B%D8%A7-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D9%88%D9%87%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86/%D9%81%D8%B1%D9%8A%D9%82-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%AD%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%B1/%D8%A3%D8%AE%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1

8. L'Espoir Libéré (fr), « Démantèlement d'un réseau marocain planifiant des actes de sabotage et arrestation de 61 ressortissants de ce pays », 11 October 2026, 19:43 — headline and time of publication — https://lespoirlibere.dz/2026/10/11/demantelement-dun-reseau-criminel-marocain-et-arrestation-de-61-ressortissants-de-ce-pays/

9. Tel Quel (Morocco, fr), « Algérie : arrestation de 61 Marocains soupçonnés de préparer des “actes de sabotage” », 12 October 2026 — “the Algerian DGSN mentioned ‘an international Moroccan criminal network’ but gave no details on the actions it claims were planned” — https://telquel.ma/instant-t/2026/10/12/algerie-arrestation-de-61-marocains-soupconnes-de-preparer-des-actes-de-sabotage_2012442/

10. Le360 (Morocco, fr), « 61 Marocains arrêtés en Algérie : le régime ne fait pas la guerre au «Makhzen», mais aux Marocains », 12 October 2026 — commentary column; a Moroccan press reaction, not judicial information — https://fr.le360.ma/politique/61-marocains-arretes-en-algerie-le-regime-ne-fait-pas-la-guerre-au-makhzen-mais-aux-marocains_2X4J3DHYWJCQPDXUNT5WJUBWMM/

11. HB Report (en), « Algeria Detains 61 Moroccans Amid Suspected Sabotage Plans » — English-language take-up; contains an attribution error (see reservation no. 6) — https://hbreport.com/algeria-detains-61-moroccans-amid-suspected-sabotage-plans/

⚠️ Published reservations.

(1) The word is “acts of sabotage” — not another. All the Algerian official texts consulted use the expression “acts of sabotage” (« أعمال تخريبية » in Arabic). None uses a more serious term. The article holds to it.

(2) The press release does not describe the acts. No target, no means, no timetable, no instigator. This is written in the article, and not turned into suspicion.

(3) The date of the arrests is not published. “Early October 2026”, without a day. The certain date is that of the announcement: Sunday 11 October 2026.

(4) The judicial follow-up stops at the referral to the prosecutor's office. No source consulted says whether the 61 people were charged or remanded in custody. Horizons's “remanded” wording is the newspaper's.

(5) No official Moroccan reaction found as of the date of the file; the documented positions are those of the Moroccan press (Tel Quel, Le360).

(6) An English-language take-up (HB Report) attributes the press release to “Morocco's General Directorate of National Security”. This is an attribution error: the DGSN is Algerian, and it is indeed the body that published the press release (Radio Algérienne, Horizons, Algérie360). We flag it without adopting it.

(7) Passports issued to Israeli agents: nothing. No source consulted documents this lead, in any form. It is mentioned only as not established. The only “passport” element sourced from an official text is the seizure of Moroccan passports, verbatim in the press release.

(8) No judgment on any people. The article names an institution (DGSN), a prosecutor's office, a court and alleged acts — never a nation or a religion as guilty. No insult, no description aimed at a people or a religion.

(9) The source landscape is mostly Algerian. Six Algerian sources (including the official source and two in Arabic), one Moroccan news source, one Moroccan column, one international take-up. We say so rather than conceal it.

(10) The file reveals no document: no SCOOP badge. It reports a public official announcement and marks its limits.