View source for Algeria Arrests Prominent War Veteran

The arrest of [https://www.purevolume.com/?s=Algerian Algerian] war veteran Lakhdar Bouregaa has prompted an outcry online<br>  <br>Algerian authorities have arrested a well-known veteran of the war of independence against France, his grandson and media outlets said Sunday, after he reportedly criticised military chief Ahmed Gaid Saleh.<br> <br>Lakhdar Bouregaa, 86, was arrested at his home in the [https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/upscale%20Hydra upscale Hydra] neighbourhood overlooking Algiers on Saturday and taken to a intelligence services base, grandson Imad Bouregaa said.<br> <br>He told the DzVid news website that his grandfather's arrest was linked to comments he made about Gaid Salah, Algeria's strongman since the ouster in April of veteran president Abdelaziz Bouteflika.<br> <br>"My grandfather said that Gaid Salah wanted to impose his own candidate in presidential elections" to replace Bouteflika, he said.<br> <br>National television reported that he had been detained for "insulting a state body and undermining the morale of the army",  [https://hydraclubbioknikokex7njhwuahc2l67lfiz7z36md2jvopda7hidra-onion.com hydraclubbioknikokex7njhwuahc2l67lfiz7z36md2jvopda7nchid.onion] charges for which he could face up to 10 years in prison.<br> <br>Bouteflika resigned after weeks of protests against his rule, only hours after close ally Gaid Salah demanded impeachment proceedings against him.<br> <br>Gaid Salah has since been pushing for polls to choose a successor but a planned election on July 4 was scrapped after the only two candidates were rejected.<br> <br>Bouregaa's arrest was also reported by several media outlets in Algeria, including French-language daily Liberte, and sparked criticism on social media.<br> <br>His arrest has "shocked" many of those who took part in the 1954-1962 war of independence against French colonial rule, human rights activist Fodil Boumala said in a statement posted on Facebook.<br> <br>It was a "serious blunder", said the statement signed by dozens of university professors.<br> <br>Bouregaa, who was a commander of the National Liberation Army (ALN) which fought the French and a founder in 1963 of the Front for Socialist Forces (FFS), one of Algeria's oldest opposition parties.<br> <br>The FFS said it was "angry" and "dismayed" at his arrest.<br> <br>Liberte said Bouregaa had contacted his children to inform them of his arrest but could not say where he was being held or the reason for his detention.<br>