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French Prosecutors Request Release of Algerian Consulate Officer Held Since April in Influencer Kidnapping Case
The National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office asked a judge on June 11 to free Smaïl R., an Algerian consulate officer detained since April 2025. The request follows the April 2024 kidnapping of Amir Boukhors in France and earlier mutual expulsions of diplomats.
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An officer at the Algerian consulate in Créteil, Le Monde reported. Smaïl R. has remained in provisional detention since April 12, 2025, on charges of involvement in the abduction of Amir Boukhors, a social media influencer known as Amir DZ.
Boukhors was seized by criminals in France and held for 27 hours at the end of April 2024. The case prompted France and Algeria to each expel 12 diplomatic staff members. 's continued detention as the principal barrier to restoring normal relations with Paris.
Defense lawyers for Smaïl R. filed a motion for his release the day before the prosecutor's request. The office had previously rejected every earlier application for his freedom. The shift occurred one year after French sports journalist Christophe Gleizes was imprisoned in Algeria.
Le Monde reported that the timing of the prosecutorial move coincides with reported diplomatic contacts between the two capitals.
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