Two men were reportedly killed after crossing Morocco’s maritime border into Algeria on jet skis.
According to Moroccan media reports, two French-Moroccan men were shot dead after accidentally crossing Morocco’s maritime border with Algeria on water scooters.
The incident occurred on Tuesday after five men became disoriented while exploring the sea on jet skis. France confirmed on Friday that one of its citizens had been killed.
The Foreign Ministry in Paris reported the death without specifying the circumstances and said another of its citizens had been detained for “an incident involving several of our nationals.”
Mohamed Kissi told Moroccan news website 360.ma that he, his brother Bilal and two friends were on vacation and were riding jet skis off the waters of the Moroccan city of Saidia when the sun began to set.
“We didn’t have enough gas for the water scooters and we drifted. “In the darkness we were in Algerian waters,” Kissi was quoted as saying.
A speedboat with “Algeria” written on the side and naval forces approached the group.
After a brief exchange, Kissi said Algerian forces fired on the group and his brother Bilal and their friend Abdelali Mechouer were killed. Her other friend, Smail Snabe, was wounded and arrested by Algerian forces.
The French-Moroccan said he swam to escape until he was rescued by Moroccan maritime police.
The French foreign ministry said its “crisis assistance center and our embassies in Morocco and Algeria are in close contact with the families of our fellow citizens, to whom we offer every support.”
No diplomatic relations
There was no immediate response from Algerian authorities.
A cousin of the brothers, actor Abdelkarim Kissi, called on Moroccan authorities to take the case to international courts.
“They killed Bilal Kissi, my little cousin,” Kissi wrote on social media, “His only fault was crossing Algerian territorial waters.”
According to 360.ma, a funeral for Bilal Kissi was held in the Moroccan town of Bni Drar on Thursday. The outlet also reported that Mechouer’s family is seeking the repatriation of his body, which was recovered by Algerian forces.
When asked about the incident on Thursday, Moroccan government spokesman Mustapha Baitas said that “these issues fall within the jurisdiction of the judicial authority” and made no further comment.
The border between Algeria and Morocco has been closed since 1994 and the two have not had diplomatic relations since Algiers cut ties with Rabat in 2021.