Algerian authorities announced- without providing whatsoever compelling evidence- on 11 October the dismantling of an “extremely dangerous” international Moroccan criminal network of 61 people allegedly preparing acts of sabotage in Oran.
The official communiqué offered almost nothing. No precise arrest date (only “early October”), no targets, no operational plan, and not a single weapon.
The only material evidence cited was unverified covers of allegedly Moroccan passports and modest sums in dirhams and euros.
Even the AFP noted that police provided no details on the alleged planned actions. To give the plot a face, the state news agency APS released a photograph of dozens of men seen from behind, framed by special police, in front of a table covered with passports and phones.
State television aired roughly a minute of similar footage. France 24 questioned the authenticity of these images, describing them as a standard staging used by Algerian authorities after routine arrests.
Then more dramatic pictures appeared showing dozens of men kneeling, heads bowed, hands bound behind their backs, surrounded by special forces. Another angle showing the table with passports, phones and cash.
According to an investigation by RFI, later reported by France 24 in its “Info ou intox” segment, these images were generated by artificial intelligence.
Google’s SynthID detection tool confirmed the fabrication. Two national Algerian dailies, L’Écho d’Algérie and La Nouvelle République, published the AI-generated photos without any caption or disclaimer.
A solid case does not require fake images. The official story was so meagre that regime media itself felt compelled to embellish it.
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