The Saidia incident (northeastern Morocco), which led to at least one person being killed and others injured, sparked mixed reactions across the international media.
While the Maghreb Arab Press did not accuse any party of committing the crime, leaving the matter in the hands of the Moroccan judicial system, the incident topped social media and the world newspapers over the past two days.
For his part, the Moroccan government spokesman refused to comment on the incident and merely said that the matter falls within the jurisdiction of the judicial authority.
The Saidia Incident On CNN:
CNN has reported that French Moroccan national has died and another was detained by Algerian authorities after an incident off the coast of Algeria, according to a French diplomatic source. A family member who says he witnessed the incident stated that two men had been shot dead Tuesday by Algerian authorities and one was arrested.
The family member told that he was among four men who got lost on jet skis in Algerian waters while holidaying at a resort in Morocco, when Algerian security forces allegedly fired on them. The border between the two countries has been closed for decades.
The Saidia Incident On The New York Times:
According to The New York Times, Algerian coast guard forces shot and killed a French citizen and detained another after they strayed on water scooters into Algerian waters from Morocco, where they were vacationing, the French authorities said on Friday.
On Reuters:
Reuters has reported that Algerian authorities shot dead at least one Moroccan tourist after a group of five strayed into Algerian waters on jet skis. One of the survivors told Moroccan media.Only two of the group returned home, said relatives of the victim and the family of a second man who is missing and presumed to be dead. The incident took place on Tuesday after the five men lost their bearings while exploring the sea on jet skis near the Moroccan coastal resort of Saidia, on the border with Algeria, said Mohamed Kissi, who survived the incident and who says his brother was killed.
The Saidia Incident On The Guardian:
The guardian has conveyed the incident mentioning that Mohamed Kissi said that the group of friends on jetskis had got lost off the coast and strayed into Algerian waters when his brother, Bilal Kissi, was shot dead; another man, Abdelali Merchouer, was missing, presumed dead. The men were reported to have French-Moroccan dual nationality.
The group came under fire after taking a wrong turn off the beach resort of Saïdia on Morocco’s northeast tip on Tuesday, the Moroccan news website Le360 reported. The men had crossed the maritime border between Morocco and Algeria.
A fourth man, Smail Snabe, also French-Moroccan, was arrested by the Algerian coastguard and appeared before a prosecutor on Wednesday.Members of a single family or close friends, Bilal and Mohamed Kissi, Ismaïl Snabi and Abdelali Mchiouer are respectively three Franco-Moroccans with another Moroccan who has lived in France for 30 years.
On France 24:
France 24 , has stated that The foreign ministry in Paris reported only one death without providing the circumstances, saying another of its citizens was jailed in “an incident involving several of our nationals». The ministry did not release the identity of the person it said had been killed.
The holidaymakers were among four men who set off from Saida with three jet skis on Tuesday, FRANCE 24 has learned. Three of them were French-Moroccan dual nationals, while the fourth man was a Moroccan citizen living in France.
Two of the dual nationals reportedly decided to swim to shore after running out of petrol at dusk. One landed on a Moroccan beach while the other set foot on Algerian territory, where he was detained by local authorities. The remaining two holiday-makers vanished without a trace, though the Jet Ski they shared was later recovered.
The Saidia Incident On EURO NEWS:
EURONEWS, Has reported that Algerian Coastguards killed two holiday makers and arrested another after they mistakenly strayed into Algerian waters, fueling diplomatic tensions between the country and neighboring Morocco.
Two French-Moroccan holiday makers have been killed by the Algerian coastguard after apparently straying into Algerian waters on their jet ski.
The Saidia Incident On Deutsche Welle:
DW has reported the deadly incident, mentioning that Prosecutors in Morocco launched an investigation on Friday into the deaths of two men who are believed to have been shot dead by Algerian forces.
The Algerian government has not commented on the case. The Moroccan government also declined to comment on the details of the deaths. France on Friday confirmed the death of one of its citizens in Algeria and the imprisonment of another. In a brief message, the country’s Foreign Ministry spoke of “an incident involving several of our nationals.”
The Saidia Incident On The Middle East Eye:
The Middle East Eye has informed that Two French-Moroccan tourists were shot dead after they strayed into Algerian waters with jet skis. Dual nationals Bilal Kissi and Abdelali Merchouer were holidaying at a beach resort in the northeast Moroccan town of Saidia on Tuesday when they took a wrong turn across the maritime border. They were shot dead shortly afterwards. Two other French-Moroccans, Bilal’s brother Mohamed and Smail Snabe, survived the incident. Mohamed said the shooting came from Algerian coastguards.
