Algeria's defense ministry said Sunday it had broken up a cell of separatist militants accused of "planning attacks" against so-called Hirak rallies in the country.
The defense ministry said the "criminal cell" arrested in late March were members of the banned Movement for the Autonomy of Kabylie (MAK), a traditionally restive region in the northeast.
Its members are "involved in the planning of attacks and criminal acts during marches and popular rallies," AFP quoted the defense ministry as saying in a statement. It added that "weapons and explosives were seized."
On March 30, prosecutors had announced the arrest of five people suspected of planning "terrorist" actions in the Kabylie region during weekly Hirak demonstrations.
The Hirak protest movement was sparked in February 2019 over then-president Abdelaziz Bouteflika's bid for a fifth term in office.
The ailing strongman was forced to step down weeks later, but the Hirak continued with demonstrations, demanding a sweeping overhaul of the ruling system.
While it paused rallies for a year due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Hirak returned to the streets in February.
Ahead of elections in June, the military-dominated regime has been waging efforts on all fronts, particularly in the media, to discredit the movement.
The Hirak has called for a boycott of the polls.
