Algeria: Founder of Militant GSPC Arrested

Algerian security forces reportedly arrested Hassan Hattab, the former militant chief and founder of the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat. Hattab has spent his recent years attempting to negotiate an amnesty agreement with Algiers, to no avail. As a defunct figure on Algeria's militant scene, his arrest is unlikely to have a dramatic impact on the operational capabilities of al Qaeda's North African node, though it will further erode the credibility of the government's amnesty program at a time when the militancy in Algeria is picking up steam.