Two Moroccan-French tourists killed by Algerian coastguard

Adam Lucente

Sep 1, 2023

A policeman watches as people cool off in the water at el-Kettani beach in the Bab el-Oued suburb, Algiers, Algeria, Aug. 15, 2020. — Ryad Kramdi/AFP via Getty Images

Two Moroccan-French tourists have been killed by the Algerian coastguard, according to multiple reports on Thursday and Friday, adding yet another source of tension to Algeria-Morocco relations.

The two vacationers — Bilal Kissi and Abdelali Merchouer — were shot dead after they strayed into Algerian waters on their jet skis. A third member of the group — Smail Snabe — was arrested by Algerian authorities, while a fourth made it safely back to Morocco. Mohamed Kissi, the brother of Bilal, said they got lost and that an Algerian boat approached them and opened fire, Agence France-Presse reported on Thursday.

The group had set sail from the resort town of Saida in northeast Morocco, close to the Algerian border. The victims are citizens of both France and Morocco, according to AFP.

The French state-owned news outlet France 24 reported that the incident occurred on Tuesday. Algeria and Morocco have not commented on the incident.