Algeria Arrests Suspected Members of MAK Separatist Group After Attacks

ALGIERS, ALGERIA - Algeria has arrested 27 suspected members of a separatist group that the government has declared a terrorist organization, after an attack in two northern towns, police said Monday. 

They said the 27 were suspected of belonging to MAK, a group that seeks independence for the Berber-speaking Kabylie region.  Morocco's support for MAK was one of the reasons cited by Algeria in cutting diplomatic relations with the kingdom late last month.  Police said the 27 were arrested "for their attempt to sow terror and strife among citizens by order of parties abroad," police said in a statement. “They resorted to assault and robbery of citizens' shops."