Two Kamikaze Attacks Shake Blida in Algeria During Pope Leo XIV’s Visit
Two kamikaze attacks shook the province of Blida, near the Algerian capital, on Monday, in a serious security escalation that coincided with the official visit of Pope Leo XIV to Algeria, at a particularly sensitive moment on both the security and political levels.
Al-Araby Al-Jadeed’s correspondent reported that the first blast targeted the police headquarters in central Blida, before a second kamikaze attack occurred near the headquarters of a food industry company in the same province.
This development places Algeria before an extremely delicate security test, as the two attacks occurred at the very moment of a major international event, namely the papal visit. The visit officially began on Monday at the invitation of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and marks Pope Leo XIV’s first visit to Algeria as part of his current African tour.
The Algerian Press Service confirmed the Pope’s arrival in Algeria on Monday morning, before later documenting his official movements in the capital, including his visit to the Great Mosque of Algiers.
The coincidence of these two attacks with the visit highlights the scale of the security embarrassment caused by the incident, given the symbolic importance of the occasion and its sensitivity both domestically and internationally.
The fact that a first attack targeted a security perimeter in Blida before a second occurred near a civilian facility further broadens the significance of the assault and gives it a dimension that goes beyond a purely local incident, especially as the papal visit has drawn wide international media coverage and carries important religious and diplomatic messages.
Reuters had noted a few days earlier that Pope Leo XIV had begun an African tour including Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea, and that in Algeria he was expected to devote several meetings and speeches to religious dialogue, peace and coexistence.
This context makes the two attacks a defining event on the very first day of the visit and gives the case a security dimension that extends beyond Algeria’s borders into the realm of regional and international attention.
At this stage, not all details of the two attacks are yet known, whether in terms of the final toll or their full background.
One thing, however, is certain: in the very first hours of the papal visit, Algeria found itself confronted with a delicate security situation requiring heightened mobilization and bringing back to the forefront questions about preparedness, possible security breaches, and the messages that may have been intended through this precise timing.