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French anti-terror prosecutors have indicted three men in connection with the April 2024 kidnapping of Algerian dissident and influencer Amir Boukhors, including an employee at an Algerian consulate in France, judicial sources said Saturday.
The three men were charged Friday in Paris with kidnapping and unlawful detention in relation to a terrorist organization, as well as participation in a criminal terrorist conspiracy, according to the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office (PNAT). All three have been placed in pre-trial detention.
One of the suspects reportedly works for an Algerian consulate in France. While he holds a service passport rather than a diplomatic one, the issue of diplomatic immunity is expected to be addressed during the proceedings, a source close to the case told AFP.
Boukhors, a well-known critic of the Algerian regime, had previously survived two serious attacks — one in 2022 and another on the evening of April 29, 2024, according to his lawyer, Eric Plouvier. The kidnapping, which initially fell under the jurisdiction of the Créteil prosecutor’s office, was later taken over by PNAT in February 2025.
“This shift to an anti-terror investigation shows that a foreign power, Algeria, did not hesitate to carry out violent acts on French soil — acts of intimidation and terror that threaten lives,” Plouvier said, calling the case a “state affair.”
The indictment of individuals linked to the Algerian government adds a new layer of strain to the already complex relations between Paris and Algiers. Neither of the suspects’ attorneys, Véronique Massi and Clotilde Garnier, responded to AFP requests for comment.
Boukhors’ name also surfaced in a separate probe by the Paris prosecutor’s office. In that case, a French Economy Ministry employee was indicted in December for allegedly providing confidential information about Algerian dissidents — including Boukhors — to an Algerian national working at the Algerian consulate in Créteil.
According to sources, some of the individuals targeted in that investigation later became victims of violence, death threats, or abduction attempts.
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