
Former chief of internal security General Abdelkader Haddad, widely known by his alias Nasser El-Djinn, has been placed in pre-trial detention—adding his name to the growing list of high-ranking intelligence officials imprisoned in Algeria.
His arrest signals yet another blow to the country’s fragile security establishment and reflects the escalating instability gripping the intelligence community during President Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s second term.
Dismissed from his post on May 22, General El-Djinn was detained just weeks later amid what analysts describe as a climate of fear and suspicion within the military ranks.
His downfall follows the imprisonment of five other former intelligence chiefs, including Generals Wassini Bouazza, Mohamed Bouzit—also known as Youcef—Benmiloud Othmane, nicknamed Kamel Kaniche, and Colonel Nabil Boubekeur, also called Bob. Several have received lengthy prison sentences, some extending to twenty years.
El-Djinn’s own career traces the volatile landscape of Algeria’s power structure. Reinstated in 2021 and appointed to lead the notorious Ben Aknoun Military Investigation Center—once infamous for torture during Algeria’s civil conflict—he later rose to head the General Directorate of Internal Security. His tenure was marred by allegations of extreme repression and extrajudicial operations.
Now, his removal underscores the deepening purges that continue to plague the nation’s security institutions. Between 2019 and 2023, the Central Directorate of Army Security saw six different leaders. The Directorate of External Documentation and Security experienced the same number of changes.
The rapid succession of officials, frequently followed by arrests, has severely undermined operational continuity and strategic coherence.
Once-dominant factions, including figures linked to former army chief Ahmed Gaid Salah, have been sidelined. Loyalists of Mohamed Mediene—known as Toufik—briefly returned to influence, only to be removed again. Even generals close to current army chief Said Chengriha are reportedly no longer safe.
As Algeria’s intelligence leadership continues to implode, questions mount over the sustainability of President Tebboune’s administration. With loyalty no longer a shield and leadership transitions often ending in detention, the regime appears locked in a cycle of distrust and purges—raising fears of a deeper, potentially uncontrollable political unraveling.