ALGIERS / Hassan Jebril / Anadolu

Algerian authorities announced Wednesday the arrest of four individuals accused of igniting forest fires in Constantine province, eastern Algeria, with their photos and identities published, and their placement in pretrial detention pending investigation.

The Public Prosecutor's Office at the Sidi M'hamed Court in Algiers said in a statement that the measures were part of the prosecution of three cases involving "criminal groups that set fire to forest properties."

The statement noted the publication of the suspects' names and photos, a step deemed unprecedented in cases related to forest fires.

It explained that investigations led to the arrest of Saber Ayoub Ben Foughal and Abderrahmane Fawaïzia, after retrieving a video that, according to the prosecutor's office, documents them setting fire to the brush adjacent to the Snoubar neighborhood in Constantine.

It added that investigations also involved suspect Farouk Lemouissi, accused of setting fire to brush and trees in the Route de Soummam area in Constantine, where a video showed him igniting the fire at the scene.

In the third case, authorities arrested Seif Eddine Ben Khalifa caught red-handed setting fire to two piles of copper wires along the highway between the provinces of Constantine and Annaba, resulting in the burning of approximately two hectares of trees within the forest perimeter, according to the statement.

The prosecutor's office stated that the preliminary investigation, carried out by the criminal squad of Constantine security and the National Gendarmerie's research and investigation unit in the province, led to the arrest of four suspects, with investigations concluding their involvement in igniting fires on forest properties.

It added that the detainees were referred Wednesday to judicial authorities, and judicial investigations were opened against them on charges including "carrying out acts of sabotage aimed at endangering the lives, safety, and property of people," in addition to "deliberately setting fire to state-owned forest properties."

The statement pointed out that the investigating judge, after questioning the suspects, ordered their placement in pretrial detention, while the prosecutor's office clarified that the charge of acts of sabotage attributed to them carries a penalty, under Algerian law, of up to death.

Although Algeria has suspended the execution of death sentences since 1993, courts still issue this penalty in a number of cases, with enforcement replaced by life imprisonment.

Following the 2021 fires that killed dozens and left hundreds injured, Algerian authorities approved amendments to the penal code that tightened penalties against those responsible for starting fires and raised the ceiling of penalties in the most serious cases.

Last night, Algerian authorities evacuated residents of areas threatened by forest fires in the town of Séraïdi, Annaba province, eastern Algeria, and also evacuated the area's hospital after flames approached.

The situation prompted an urgent visit by Algerian Interior Minister Saïd Saaïd, accompanied by the ministers of health and solidarity and the director general of civil protection, to follow up on the field situation in Annaba.

Algerian authorities announced Tuesday the death of six people as a result of the forest fires that the country has witnessed in recent days.

The Ministry of Interior said in a statement: "Following the fires that some provinces of the country have witnessed in recent days, six deaths have been recorded," without providing further details.

It noted that instructions were issued to local authorities to carry out "a comprehensive census and inventory of all losses recorded, in order to compensate those affected by the forest fires, based on reports from provincial committees supervising accurate field investigations."

The fires coincide with a record heatwave that Algeria has been experiencing for more than two weeks, with temperatures reaching 49 degrees Celsius in coastal cities overlooking the Mediterranean, accompanied by hot, strong southerly winds locally known as "Shehili."

According to civil defense data, the total number of fires recorded from May 1 until July 20 reached 3,719 fires, compared to 1,501 fires during the same period in 2025, an increase of nearly 150 percent.