Ali Belhadj arrested in front of US embassy

Algerian police arrested Vice-President of the Salvation Front Ali Belhadj Thursday morning in front of the American embassy. The Front, which is a banned party in Algeria, stated that Belhadj tried to protest in front of the embassy against the film “ Innocence of Muslims,” which he and many others saw as insulting to the Prophet Mohammed. According to the group, Belhadj was protesting peacefully. The statement added: “Belhadj wanted to hand over the US ambassador a letter, but the security services prevented him and immediately arrested him and took him into unknown area.” The statement denounced the repeated detention of the vice-president of the banned party, stating that the security services have been watching him since his release from prison in 2003. In the same context, the American embassy warned on Wednesday its nationals from possible attacks against them in Algeria following the death of US ambassador to Libya on Tuesday night. It recommended the Americans in Algeria not to move except if it is urgent. Algeria refused to comment on the American warning, and the Foreign Ministry spokesman Ammar Plany, considered it as an American affair. Algeria does not usually respond to security instructions received by embassies of foreign countries.