Algeria has protested strongly after French prosecutors indicted one of its consular officials on suspicion of involvement in the April 2024 abduction of an Algerian influencer in a Paris suburb.

Algiers claims the move was aimed at scuppering recent attempts to repair ties.

Three men, one of whom works at an Algerian consulate in France, were indicted Friday in Paris on suspicion of involvement in the abduction of 41-year-old Amir Boukhors.

Algeria's foreign ministry said it had hauled in French Ambassador Stephane Romatet to "express its strong protest”

It said the indicted consular officer "was arrested in public and then taken into custody without notification through the diplomatic channels".

Strained ties

The Algerian foreign ministry demanded the immediate release of its consular officer.

It said the "unprecedented" turn of events was "no coincidence" and was "aimed at torpedoing the process of reviving bilateral relations" agreed upon by French President Emmanuel Macron and Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune in a March 31 telephone call.

Tensions eased somewhat, thanks to the recent phone call between Macron and Tebboune, who voiced their willingness to repair relations.

And French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot expressed hope last Sunday for a "new phase" in relations with Algeria during a visit aimed at mending the diplomatic rift.