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RABAT, September 1 (Reuters) – A Moroccan tourist who was lost with four friends in Algerian waters aboard jet skis has been shot dead by Algerian authorities, according to one of the group who survived.
A second man, reported missing, is presumed dead, according to the man and family members.
The incident unfolded on Tuesday after five men riding jet skis got lost off the Moroccan resort town of Saidia, near the border with Algeria, said Mohamed Kissi, who was part of the group.
According to Mohamed Kissi, his brother Bilal was killed and another member of the group was arrested by the Algerian authorities.
Local media reported that the three men had dual French and Moroccan nationality.
In a statement, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it had learned “the death of one of our nationals and the incarceration of another compatriot in Algeria”.
In a video published by the Moroccan media le360, Mohamed Kissi claims that a ship of the Algerian authorities approached the group after dark.
Shots rang out, according to Mohamed Kissi who said his brother Bilal, 29, and another man, Abdelali Mechouar, 40, were shot while another member of the group was arrested by Algerian authorities.
The border between Algeria and Morocco has been closed since 1994 and the two countries have cut all diplomatic ties since 2021.
Moroccan authorities declined to comment on a court case while Algerian authorities did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Bilal Kissi’s body was found by Moroccan fishermen and was buried on Wednesday near the eastern Moroccan city of Oujda, Mohamed Kissi said.
Mustafa Mechouar, the father of the missing man, told Reuters he thought his son was dead and wanted to bury him.
“I call on the Moroccan and Algerian authorities to find an agreement to bring my son back so that he can be offered a funeral and a proper burial,” said Mustafa Mechouar. (Reporting by Ahmed El Jechtimi in Rabat, Tarek Amara in Tunis and Geert de Clercq in Paris; French version Zhifan Liu, editing by Kate Entringer)
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