He was of all the manifestations. But Thursday, September 12, the opponent Karim Tabbou, figure of the protest movement that agitated Algeria for nearly seven months, was placed in custody for "undermining the morale of the army" by the investigating judge Court of Kolea, near Algiers, was learned from one of his lawyers.

>> To read: After six months of protest in Algeria, the "revolution" in deadlock

Karim Tabbou, 46, was arrested Wednesday in front of his home in Algiers by "two men in plain clothes who have introduced themselves as agents of the security services," according to his party the Democratic and Social Union (UDS). He was charged with "undermining the army's morale," Mostefa Bouchachi told AFP.

An "irresponsible and arbitrary act"

He was the first secretary, between 2007 and 2011, the Front of Socialist Forces (FFS), the oldest opposition party in Algeria, before founding in November 2012 the UDS, unauthorized in the country.

His arrest sparked a wave of indignation in Algeria, particularly on social networks. The FFS denounced an "irresponsible and arbitrary act" and demanded its "immediate release".

The National Committee for the Release of Detainees (CNLD) called the arrest "kidnapping, similar to that of Commander Lakhdar Bouregaa", a famous veteran of the war of independence against France, imprisoned since June 30 for "contempt of bodies and morale of the army ".

According to his relatives, the 86-year-old opposition leader, who is also a key figure in the protest movement, was arrested because of "his statements against General Ahmed Gaïd Salah," the chief of staff of the army, has become de facto the strongman of the country since the resignation of Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

"Absolutely certain" of a ballot

General Gaïd Salah is criticized by opponents for rejecting the demands of the protest. The latter is demanding the departure of all the former followers of Abdelaziz Bouteflika still in power and refuses that they organize the presidential election.

General Ahmed Gaïd Salah refuses any other way out of the crisis than a presidential election.

On Wednesday, he said he was "absolutely certain" that the presidential election will be held within the "specified deadlines", although the date of the election has not yet been set. It must be announced Sunday, according to the general.

With AFP