Tourists 'pilfered' artefacts
2004-11-23 08:28
Algiers - Five German tourists who were found at the weekend after being missing for three days in the Sahara desert were on Monday charged with stealing archaeological artefacts.
They were also charged with violating laws on the movement of tourists in the Sahara and access to Tassili National Park, according to court sources in Illizi, 1 400 kilometres southeast of Algiers.
A ruling is expected on November 29.
The tourists, who went missing on Wednesday, were found in their vehicles on Saturday about 1 800 kilometres south of the coastal capital Algiers.
They were found "in possession of protected archaeological pieces that they pilfered from Tassili National Park", the interior ministry said in a statement at the weekend.
The Germans were without a guide in a part of Algeria where 32 Europeans were kidnapped by Islamic militants last year.
Tassili National Park covers an area of some 80 000 square kilometres, and parts of it are inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List.
- AFP