Two jetskiing tourists fatally shot by Algerian Coastguard for accidentally crossing maritime border

Two tourists have been shot dead by the Algerian coastguard while holidaying in Morocco. Reportedly, the tourists, who held dual French-Moroccan nationality, had unintentionally entered Algerian waters on jet skis.

As per BBC, they were part of a group of four who had set off on their journey from the Moroccan resort of Saidia.

Meanwhile, a third member of the group has been apprehended by the coastguard, which regularly patrols the closed border between Algeria and Morocco.

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Outrage and anger

News website Le360 has identified the two victims as Bilal Kissi and Abdelali Merchouer.

The French-Moroccan dual nationals came under fire after taking a wrong turn off the beach resort of Saidia on Morocco's northeast tip, and straying across the maritime border between the two countries, reported Le360, citing a witness.

As per the news website, the third man who was arrested by the Algerian coastguard is Smail Snabe, also a French-Moroccan national. He was made to appear before a prosecutor on Wednesday, reported Le360.

The fatal shooting incident has caused outrage in Morocco, after a fisherman posted a distressing video capturing one of the victims' lifeless bodies floating at sea.

Among the group, Mohamed Kissi, as per AFP, was the sole survivor.

Recalling the incident, Mohamed said, "We got lost, but we kept going until we found ourselves in Algeria."

The man whose brother Bilal was killed in the shooting said that the group had also run out of fuel, they realised they were in Algeria "because a black Algerian dinghy came towards us" and those on board "fired at us".

"Thank God I wasn't hit, but they killed my brother and my friend," he added.

He refuted any suggestion that they were attempting to flee upon being detected by the coastguard and instead asserted that his brother had tried to talk to the authorities before the fatal shots were fired.

"They arrested my other friend. Five bullets hit my brother and my friend. My other friend was hit by a bullet."

Mohamed was picked up by the Moroccan navy and taken back to Saidia marina.

Morocco-Algeria tensions

Owing to Morocco's territorial claims over the disputed Western Sahara region, the relationship between these two nations has been strained for a long time.

The border separating Algeria and Morocco was sealed in 1994 due to security concerns, reports AFP.

In 2021, Algeria cut diplomatic ties with Morocco, accusing its neighbour of "hostile acts". The accusation was vehemently denied by Morocco.

In light of this tragic event, actor Abdelkarim Kissi, cousin of one of the victims, has called upon Moroccan authorities to pursue the case in international courts.

"They killed Bilal Kissi my little cousin," he wrote on social media, adding"His only fault was crossing the Algerian territorial waters, he was on vacation with his friends."

(With inputs from agencies)

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