Two Algerian Intelligence Officers Defect in Europe
In a series of three videos, Hichem Aboud revealed that two senior Algerian intelligence officials have deserted their diplomatic posts in Europe and are seeking refuge abroad, signaling a deepening fracture within Algeria’s security services.
In the first video, Hichem Aboud announced the defection of Colonel Marwan, head of the security office at the Algerian embassy in Rome, who fled Italy for Switzerland, where he requested political asylum. He emphasized that this defection highlights a climate of distrust and fear within Algeria’s security services, where diplomatic passports no longer offer any protection. In a second video, Aboud explained that General Fethi Rochdi Moussaoui, head of Algerian external intelligence, summoned the Algerian consul in Rome and an assistant of Colonel Marwan named Chawki in an attempt to deflect responsibility for the defection. He accuses Moussaoui of directly threatening Marwan with prison to force him to return to Algeria. Finally, in a third video, Aboud revealed that European intelligence agencies have already approached Colonel Marwan to debrief him. According to Aboud, this prospect of cooperation with European agencies has terrified the Algerian regime, including General Moussaoui, Mahrez Djeribi, and Saïd Chengriha, who fear exposure of their “dirty missions” and the details of clandestine operations in Europe.
Lieutenant Colonel Bouzidi, former deputy consul at the Algerian consulate in Lille, has also refused to return to the country and has applied for French nationality, Hichem Aboud added.
These events are seen by many analysts as reflecting an intensification of internal power struggles within Algeria’s security and intelligence apparatus.
Abderrahmane Fares ✍️
