Algeria’s former Director General of the General Directorate of Documentation and External Security (DGDSE), Djebbar M’henna, has been placed in detention at Blida military prison.
His detention is in connection with the case linked to the alleged attempted abduction in France of Algerian opposition figure Amir Boukhors, known as “Amir DZ”.
According to media reports citing a French informed source, the detention of the former intelligence chief comes as French judicial authorities seek to hear from several Algerian officials in the investigation opened after the alleged kidnapping and unlawful detention of Amir Boukhors on French territory in April 2025.
The same sources indicate that a request to question Djebbar M’henna was reportedly discussed during French Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin’s visit to Algeria on 18 May 2026.
The issue is said to have been raised in talks with Algerian authorities, including President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and Justice Minister Lotfi Boudjemaa.
The arrest is said to come amid a broader context of security rapprochement between Algiers and Paris. According to the media reports, the move could also be intended to prevent the former security official from potentially being handed over to French justice, where possible disclosures could carry sensitive political implications.
Djebbar M’henna had previously served a prison term following a 2019 military court conviction for corruption and illicit enrichment. He was later rehabilitated, returned to service, and appointed head of the DGDSE in September 2022 before being removed in September 2024.
The same reports also said that the current head of Algerian external intelligence, Rochdi Fethi Moussaoui, known as “Saddek”, has been cited in several French press investigations concerning alleged operations targeting Algerian dissidents abroad. The outlet Le360 recalls that a May 2025 investigation by Le Journal du Dimanche suggested his alleged involvement in the Amir DZ case.
French investigations are reported to have gradually traced the chain of command of the alleged operation up to the highest levels of Algeria’s security apparatus. The Algerian authorities have not yet publicly commented on the reported detention of Djebbar M’henna or on the French investigation findings.
MK/AK/Sf/lb/as/APA