Algeria Military Court Orders Arrest of Ex-Defense Minister

(Bloomberg) -- An Algerian military court ordered the arrest of former Defense Minister Khaled Nazar, Ennahar TV reported on its website, accusing him and two others of conspiring against the army and disrupting public order.

The order marks the latest crackdown by authorities against former ministers, officials and businessmen linked to the regime of ousted President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who was pushed from power in April following months of popular unrest.

Algeria Protesters Return With Army Chief as Their New Target

Since then, the OPEC member has failed to secure much traction in its transition to civilian rule, with protesters demanding the dismantling of the old political order while the powerful military is pushing for elections. The arrests of the former ministers is widely seen in Algeria as the military’s attempt -- largely unsuccessful, so far -- to appease the demonstrators.

Along with Nazar, the court also ordered the arrest of his son, Lotfi Nazar and a third individual, the newspaper reported.

To contact the reporter on this story: Tarek El-Tablawy in cairo at teltablawy@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Alaa Shahine at asalha@bloomberg.net, Michael Gunn

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