ALGIERS, February 6, 2012 (AFP)
ALGIERS, February 6, 2012 (AFP)
Fifteen people, charged in connection with bombings that killed 11 in Algeria in 2008, including workers at a Canadian firm, were jailed Monday for between three and 12 years, a judicial source said.
Eight others charged with taking part in the twin attacks in Bouira, eastern Algeria, remain at large and have not been tried in absentia, while the leader of the group has been killed.
The group was accused of setting off two booby-trapped cars in the centre of Bouira, killing 11 and wounding 31, Algerian radio said.
Canadian engineering firm SNC-Lavalin said however that 12 of its employees perished in one of the two attacks which targetted a bus operated by the firm.The second bomb targetted the city’s military’s headquarters.
On Monday, the court sentenced Mohammed Herati Kerman, who purchased the two cars used in the attacks, to 12 years in jail.
One other person was handed a 12-year sentence, with others receiving sentences ranging from three to seven years.
The prosecutor had sought up penalties of between five and 20 years.