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Arab Spring Is Now Targeting Algeria

Algeria’s Islamists, in the political wilderness since their last attempt to win power dissolved into civil war, are now trying again, galvanized by the success of their brethren elsewhere in north Africa in the wake of the Arab Spring.

Published

14 years ago

December 8, 2011

Geoffrey Grider

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(Reuters) – Algeria’s Islamists, in the political wilderness since their last attempt to win power dissolved into civil war, are now trying again, galvanized by the success of their brethren elsewhere in north Africa in the wake of the “Arab Spring”.

Riot policemen clash with university students from marching during a demonstration in which they demand political change in Algiers May 2, 2011. Credit: Reuters/Zohra Bensemra

Most Islamists in Algeria have been excluded from political life since the conflict, but in the past few months they have shown renewed signs of activity, much of it conducted from exile to dodge the attentions of the Algerian state.

They have set up a satellite television station based in Europe, sent delegations to Arab countries that saw revolutions this year, and made tentative forays into anti-government protests.

Their chances of success are slim: they are divided into rival ideological camps, hemmed in by the powerful Algerian security apparatus, and, most importantly, discredited in the eyes of many people by a conflict in which they took part and which killed an estimated 200,000 people.

But they see an opportunity in the upheavals of the “Arab Spring,” which have this year unseated entrenched secularist leaders. In neighboring Tunisia, a previously outlawed Islamist movement has come to power, while in Egypt Islamists have taken a strong early lead in multi-stage parliamentary elections.

“Tunisia was an example and launcher of this (Arab Spring) revolution,” said Abdullah Anas, a London-based member of the leadership council of the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS), which is banned in Algeria.

“It could be a very good example for Algeria.”

LEGACY OF VIOLENCE

Any Islamist revival in Algeria, an OPEC member and supplier of about a fifth of Europe’s imported gas, would have first to shed the burden of the country’s bloody history.

Twenty years ago, FIS was poised to win a legislative election, called after street protests forced the authorities to loosen their grip on power. FIS said it would impose an Islamic state.

The military-backed government stepped in to annul the election. The Islamists took up arms and Algeria slipped into a conflict of horrific violence. Civilians had their throats slit in the street; in the mornings, people woke up to find their towns littered with bodies.

A rump of Islamists, now operating under the banner of al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, is still fighting. They periodically ambush security forces in the countryside, kidnap Westerners and stage suicide bombings.

But the violence has subsided considerably. A huge security crackdown has rounded up thousands of insurgents. Others have laid down their arms and been granted an amnesty, in exchange for an undertaking to stay out of politics.

This legacy is the biggest obstacle to any comeback by Algeria’s Islamists.

“Since then (the conflict), the Islamist was no longer seen as a hero who stands up against tyranny,” said Soheib Bencheikh, a theologian who used to be the chief cleric at the mosque in Marseilles, France, where there is a large Algerian community.

“On the contrary, he became, in the eyes of public opinion, accountable for the pain and suffering of the people,” Bencheikh told Reuters.

A fear of a return to violence helps explain why Algeria has this year remained relatively calm while neighboring countries have been convulsed by unrest.

TV STATION

But the Islamists still believe that Algeria is ripe for change, and are beginning to take practical steps.

Starting in November, a group of exiled Islamists with links to FIS set up a Europe-based television station, called Rachad TV. Carried by the Atlantic Bird 7 and Nilesat satellites , the station can be picked up in Algeria, where most homes have a dish.

It broadcasts political and social programs where opposition leaders and activists — most of them harshly critical of the government — are invited to comment on Algeria.

At the top of the station’s homepage on the Internet, there is a link to show viewers “how to free your country”, and a second link to help them “organize and participate in unrest.”

The exiles say they are also building contacts with other countries where “Arab Spring” revolts have propelled Islamists into a position of power.

Rachad says on its website that it sent a delegation to Libya in late September to meet officials in the new government, in which Islamists have a prominent role.

Abdullah Anas, the exiled Islamist in London, said there had also been contacts with Rachid Ghannouchi, the head of the moderate Islamist Ennahda party. Since an election in October his party leads Tunisia’s coalition government.

Tunisia’s experience had proved that it is possible to open up the political space in north Africa, said Anas.

“Everyone in Algeria must understand that Algeria has room for all … no matter what opinions you have,” he said, calling for a lifting of political curbs and the possibility of power-sharing between previously antagonistic groups.

SALAFISTS STIRRING

Inside Algeria, the most influential Islamist force are the Salafists, followers of an ultra-purist interpretation of Islam. Unlike the FIS, they are tolerated by the Algerian state because their creed forbids participation in politics.

When Algeria was shaken at the beginning of this year by protests sparked by a spike in food prices, the spiritual leader of the Algerian Salafists, Abdelmalek Ramdani, who lives in Saudi Arabia, issued a religious decree.

It said: “As long as the commander of the nation is a Muslim, you must obey and listen to him. Those who are against him are just seeking to replace him, and this is not licit.”

Nevertheless, there are stirrings of political activity by some Salafist preachers.

Sheikh Abdelfateh Zeraoui, a former FIS member and now a well-known Salafist preacher in the Algerian capital, issued a declaration in October saying the government had to enact urgent reforms.

“Political reforms allowing us to have free political activity are key to the stability of the country. Without reforms the country may explode,” the declaration stated.

The preacher has also tried to organize protest marches in the capital, but these have been blocked by the security forces. “We have been barred from politics,” he told Reuters.

The fact that Algerian Islamists are divided dilutes their ability to stage a comeback, said Mohamed Mouloudi, an editor and specialist on Islam.

“They are no longer speaking with one voice,” Mouloudi told Reuters.

“You have the Salafists, the Muslim brotherhood, and the Djaz’airists,(who give priority to Algerian religious traditions) among others,” he said. “You have those who are for a political action, and those who consider political action as illicit.”

SUCCESSION DEBATE

Even so, a debate is now under way in earnest within the Algerian ruling elite, for the first time since the conflict began 20 years ago, about giving Islamists a role in politics.

The focus for that debate — which, like much of Algerian politics, is conducted behind closed doors — is the question of who will succeed President Abdelaziz Bouteflika when his final term ends in 2014.

One camp within the elite is backing Abdelaziz Belkhadem, a former prime minister and secretary general of the ruling FLN party. He is a secularist but is trusted by the Islamists. Opposing him is a camp of hardline secularists who have backing from the powerful security forces.

Friction spilled out into the open when a group of Belkhadem opponents inside the FLN launched a campaign to have him removed from the party leadership.

“It will be wise to promote a man like Abdelaziz Belkhadem who has good ties with Islamists as well as with decision makers inside the regime,” said Mohamed Lagab, a secularist academic at Algiers university.

“Decision makers should take into account that North Africa will be ruled by Islamists ,” said Lagab. source – Reuters

Related Topics:Algeria arab Islamists spring

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Drones

Iranian ‘Drone Mothership’ Story Returns As Recent Intelligence Warns Of Possible Offshore Attack On California And Other Locations Across America

Published

6 hours ago

March 12, 2026

Geoffrey Grider

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From The Mysterious Drone Sightings Over New Jersey In 2024 To Today’s California Warnings, The Iranian ‘Mothership’ Story Has Returned but with a twist

In December of 2024, a strange story began circulating about mysterious drones flying over New Jersey. Soon after, a claim surfaced that Iran had positioned a “mothership” off the East Coast launching drones toward the United States. The story spread quickly, the headlines ran with it, and social media exploded. But within days the Pentagon flatly denied it, satellite imagery showed Iranian drone ships still sitting near Iran, and the entire narrative quietly faded away. Fast forward to today and suddenly the same storyline is back — except now it is being discussed in connection with a potential Iranian drone attack on California from a vessel offshore which is quite real.

“And he said unto me, What seest thou? And I answered, I see a flying roll; the length thereof is twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof ten cubits.” Zechariah 5:2 (KJB)

At first glance it sounds like the same rumor recycled again. But the reality is more complicated than that. The difference today is that the concept of a drone mothership is no longer theoretical. Iran actually built them. Over the past two years, Iran has begun converting large commercial container ships into floating drone bases capable of launching unmanned aircraft far from its own shores. One of the most notable examples is the Iranian naval vessel IRIS Shahid Bagheri, a converted container ship outfitted with a drone runway, helicopter facilities, missiles, and electronic warfare systems. In essence, Iran cannot build a traditional aircraft carrier, so it built something cheaper and far more unconventional — a drone carrier.

Trump mentally preparing you to accept the coming sleeper cell false flag attacks. pic.twitter.com/xaibQVjccZ

— Now The End Begins (@NowTheEndBegins) March 12, 2026

These ships are designed to stay at sea for extended periods and launch surveillance drones or strike drones hundreds of miles from the launch point. In military terms, this is called power projection, and it allows a nation with limited conventional naval power to extend its reach across entire oceans. So when intelligence analysts talk about the possibility of drones being launched from a vessel offshore, they are not inventing science fiction. The technology exists, but that does not mean the rumors are automatically true.

The United States monitors the world’s oceans with satellites, radar systems, and naval patrols. A large vessel approaching the American coastline would not go unnoticed, and drones entering U.S. airspace would trigger multiple detection systems. In other words, launching a drone attack on the U.S. mainland from offshore would be extremely risky and difficult to pull off without detection. That is why the 2024 New Jersey story collapsed so quickly, there was simply no evidence to support it. But that was then, and this is now

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However, today’s discussion is emerging in a very different context. The United States and Iran are now engaged in open conflict following a series of strikes earlier this year. During the first hours of that war, U.S. forces reportedly targeted Iranian naval assets including one of the country’s drone-carrier ships. This is important because it reveals how seriously the military views these platforms. A floating drone base capable of launching swarms of unmanned aircraft is not just a curiosity — it is a strategic weapon. And that brings us to the bigger picture.

The development of drone carriers is part of a much larger transformation happening in warfare. Nations like China, Turkey, and Iran are experimenting with new ways to launch large numbers of inexpensive drones from ships, potentially overwhelming traditional defenses. Instead of a handful of expensive fighter jets, the future battlefield may involve hundreds of autonomous drones launched from sea-based platforms.

For now, reports of Iranian drones attacking California remain unverified intelligence warnings rather than confirmed threats. Officials have said there is no evidence of an imminent attack. But the fact that such scenarios are even being discussed shows how quickly modern warfare is changing. And if there is one lesson from both the New Jersey incident and the current California warning, it is this: rumors can spread faster than facts, but real military technology often lies somewhere underneath the noise. The challenge is separating speculation from reality before the next headline turns into the next panic. History has shown that the fog of war produces plenty of both.

Iran drones reaching West Coast

What kind of attack drones does Iran have and could they strike California?

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“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)

“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB

Conspiracy Theory

Recent Bigfoot Sightings In Ohio Leave Residents ‘Shaking In Fear’ As At Least Seven Appearances Of This Controversial Creature Reported To Police

Published

9 hours ago

March 12, 2026

Geoffrey Grider

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Numerous reported sightings of the hairy Bigfoot beasts — which are said to be up to 10 feet tall — have been reported in Ohio, leaving believers on edge.

Every few years the legend of Bigfoot rises up out of the American woods like a ghost story that refuses to die, and this week the spotlight has landed on rural Ohio. Residents in Portage County say they have seen massive, hairy creatures moving through wooded areas at night, and at least one homeowner reported their dog trembling in fear after something large entered the backyard. Whether you believe it or not, stories like this never quite go away. But the interesting part is not the creature itself — it’s the endless fascination people have with mysterious beings hiding in the shadows. And for good reason, there’s lots of stuff lurking in those shadows.

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Ephesians 6:12 (KJB)

The modern world prides itself on science, technology and skepticism, yet millions remain captivated by tales of cryptids like Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, or mysterious “forest people.” Why? Because deep down people sense there is more to this world than what can be measured in a laboratory. The Bible tells us plainly that the unseen world is real. While people are scanning the tree line looking for Sasquatch, the far greater reality unfolding around us is the rapid approach of the end times. The world is racing toward a moment when deception will reach levels never seen before. The Bible warns that the coming Antichrist will operate through signs and wonders powerful enough to deceive the entire world. Personally, I do not know if Bigfoot is real or a psyop, but I know this. We are living in a world right now that is spiraling out of control so quickly that Bigfoot would be the least of our problems.

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Bigfoot sightings light up the gloomiest corner of Ohio — residents report dogs are ‘shaking in fear’

FROM THE NY POST: At least seven Bigfoot sightings have been reported across northeast Ohio since Friday, according to the minds at the Bigfoot Society, with most of the encounters coming between Akron and Youngstown in Portage County. Some are even suspecting an entire family of Sasquatches could be migrating through the region.

One of the latest alleged incidents happened Monday evening in Streetsboro, with the witness insisting she hadn’t seen any of the other reports of the sightings.

“They were passing the Tinkers Creek area when a 6-and-a-half-foot lean, brown bigfoot appeared in their lane but going against the flow of traffic,” the Bigfoot Society’s Jeremiah Byron said. “They were so close that the witness said that her daughter could have reached out and hit the Bigfoot with her arm.”

“She was so freaked out she couldn’t turn around and go back — she is not a Bigfoot person,” Byron added.

Surprising no one, perhaps, none of the Bigfoot spotters have managed to snap a photo — despite the ubiquity of high-resolution cameras on modern smartphones. And no reports have been made with local police, either, according to the Canton Repository.

“Who would have known that cell phone cameras don’t exist in North East Ohio?” one person quipped on X in response to the Bigfoot Society’s post.

The sightings appeared to be progressing eastward — leading the Bigfoot Society to posit a “Green Highway” theory that a family of cryptids was migrating through the area.

“Based on these coordinates, the subjects appear to be using the Headwaters Trail greenbelt as a primary travel corridor,” the group said in an X post. “The variation in height (6ft to 10ft) and color (brown to black) suggests we are not tracking a single individual, but potentially a family group or multiple subjects migrating eastward.”

The first sighting came Friday when somebody claimed to see a 9-foot-tall beast in broad daylight before it ran off after being spotted, then Saturday an 8-foot creature was grunting in a wooded area around 11 p.m. — with a footprint reportedly being found.

Then there were four more sightings over the following days through Tuesday morning, one of which left somebody’s German shepherd “visibly shaking with fear” after encountering the alleged beast in a backyard, witnesses said. Others, however, thought that even if these beasts were real, they wouldn’t be around for long — given the rough reputation of northeast Ohio. “That boy is not going to make it past Youngstown,” one person said. READ MORE

Our Visit With The Soul Trap At The 2025 Great Florida Bigfoot Conference Was Epic!

Look who came to visit us at the 2025 Great Florida Bigfoot Conference. We sit down with Geoffrey Grider of Now The End Begins and discuss everything from cryptids in the swamp to draining the swamp with a little bit of tariff talk along the way.

Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church

HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our WayGiver Funding page

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)

“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB

Headline News

The Strait of Hormuz In The Persian Gulf Lit Up Like An Inferno After Six Tankers Attacked By Iran When Explosive-Laden Boats Struck Multiple Vessels

Published

11 hours ago

March 12, 2026

Geoffrey Grider

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Oil Surges Above $100 As Six Ships Are Attacked In Strait Of Hormuz While Trump’s War With Iran Pushes Middle East Toward Wider Conflict

Oil prices have surged past $100 a barrel after multiple ships were attacked in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, sending shockwaves through global markets and reminding the world just how fragile the modern economic system really is. As the war between the United States and Iran intensifies, one of the most important energy choke points on the planet is rapidly turning into a battlefield.

“And of Asher he said, Let Asher be blessed with children; let him be acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil.” Deuteronomy 33:24 (KJB)

Yes, oil is part of the story, and always has been. The Persian Gulf sits on top of one of the largest concentrations of energy reserves on the planet. When that supply is threatened, markets tremble. But the deeper reality is geopolitical power. The Strait of Hormuz is one of the most strategic military choke points on earth. Whoever controls that corridor can influence the energy supply of Asia, Europe, and much of the global economy. This is how regional wars begin to spread. First it is military strikes, then retaliation, then attacks on global trade routes. Once shipping lanes become battlefields, the entire world begins to feel the consequences. As the war between the United States and Iran escalates and global energy markets begin to tremble, one thing is becoming increasingly clear. The world is moving into a period of profound instability exactly how the prophets said that it would be in the last days.

Oil prices surge above $100 per barrel after six ships attacked in Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz

FROM THE NY POST: The two most recent attacks, apparently carried out by explosive-laden boats, hit the tankers Safesea Vishnu and Zefyros in Iraqi waters, killing at least one crew member and setting the vessels ablaze. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed responsibility for the attacks, releasing a video of the burning Safesea Vishnu in which a man can be heard shouting: “Allah is the greatest! The destruction of an American tanker in the northern district of the Persian Gulf! I obey you Khamenei! Hail be the Islamic Republic of Iran! Soldiers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy!”

“Expect oil at $200 per barrel,” a spokesperson said in a statement Wednesday aimed at the US. “The price of oil depends on regional security, and you are the main source of insecurity in the region.”

The latest attacks followed projectile strikes on four ships in the Strait of Hormuz since Wednesday and caused Brent crude futures to jump past the century mark before falling back to around $96.50 per barrel as of 7 a.m. ET. The attacks came hours after President Trump ordered the release of 172 million barrels of oil from the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve in an effort to bring down gas prices that have surged by an average of 60 cents per gallon nationwide since America and Israel began joint attacks on Iran Feb. 28.

Oil Surges Above $100 As Six Ships Are Attacked In Strait Of Hormuz While Trump’s War With Iran Pushes Middle East Toward Wider Conflict pic.twitter.com/BWVWXWQm0A

— Now The End Begins (@NowTheEndBegins) March 12, 2026

The IRGC has warned that any vessel which attempts to traverse the Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabia Sea and through which an estimated one-fifth of the world’s oil passes, is subject to attack. READ MORE

Ships struck near Strait of Hormuz as Iran threatens security of key oil passage

Bahrain’s interior minister says Iran is targeting fuel tanks in the country after several refineries were hit, as tensions mount following attacks on ships near the Strait of Hormuz.