A Swiss tourist had her throat cut in a cafe in Algeria by a man yelling “Allahu Akbar” and “Long live Palestine” earlier this month in an attack which was allegedly covered up by local authorities.
This week, French newspaper Libération reported that on October 11th, a female tourist from Switzerland was killed after an Algerian man approached her table in a popular cafe in the southern city of Djanet and slit her throat with a knife.
“She was evacuated to Djanet hospital where she lost a lot of blood; the doctors were unable to save her,” a local source told the Parisian daily.
During the attack, which is said to have occurred while she was sitting with a fellow traveller and her children, the Algerian is alleged to have shouted out the jihadist war cry “Allahu Akbar” (God is great/Our God is the greatest) and “Long live Palestine”, Swiss broadcaster later RTS reported.
According to the Swiss news outlet, the news of the woman’s murder was kept quiet by local authorities, who even reportedly told residents of the region to refrain from mentioning the killing on social media.
Speaking to Liberation, a source said: “For the moment, it is completely hushed up. Nothing is coming out, even on social networks. On the ground, the watchword is radio silence. Everyone is complying.”
RTS also reported that the Algerian assailant had previously attempted to attack another group of tourists shortly before the murder of the Swiss woman. However, the group was able to fend him off.
The country claims Djanet to be one of the “tourist jewels of Algeria”.
The broadcaster said that the knifeman had arrived in the city a few months prior to the attack, most likely originally hailing from the north of Algeria.
After coming to the oasis tourist hotspot, the man is reported to have lived as a recluse on a hill, coming down only to beg for money while pretending to be mute.
Following the knife attack, Algerian security forces launched a large-scale manhunt to apprehend the attacker, deploying helicopters and putting up wanted posters for the man in the area. A few days later, he was found.
So far, the identity of the attacker and the victim have not been made public.