Former Algeria counterterrorism chief jailed for 5 years

Oran, Algeria: Algeria's former counterterrorism chief was sentenced Thursday to five years in prison for destroying documents and disobeying military orders, his lawyer said.

Abdelkader Ait-Ouarabi, better known as General Hassan, was tried behind closed doors in a military court in second city Oran in the country's first ever prosecution of a high-ranking secret service officer.

Lawyer Khaled Bourayou described the sentence as "retribution", saying his client had "not benefited from extenuating circumstances such as his age, his health and his contribution to the anti-terrorist battle."

Journalists had not been allowed to attend the hearing, even before the judges ordered it held behind closed doors.

For two decades, General Hassan had embodied the army's fight against Islamist groups.