Ali La Pointe
Ali Ammar (Arabic: علي عمار; 14 May 1930 – 8 October 1957), better known by his nickname Ali la Pointe, was an Algerian revolutionary fighter and guerrilla leader of the National Liberation Front who fought for Algerian independence against the French colonial regime, during the Battle of Algiers.
Ali Ammar | |
|---|---|
| Born | 14 May 1930 Miliana, French Algeria |
| Died | 8 October 1957 (aged 27) |
| Cause of death | Killed in action |
| Other names | Ali la Pointe |
| Occupation | Freedom Fighter |
| Organization | Armée de libération nationale (ALN) |
| Known for | Battle of Algiers |
| Movement | Front de libération nationale (FLN) |
Ali lived a life of petty crime and was serving a two-year prison sentence when the Algerian War (1954 to 1962) began. Recruited in the notorious Barberousse prison by FLN militants, he became one of their most trusted and loyal lieutenants in Algiers. On 28 December 1956, he was suspected of killing the Mayor of Boufarik, Amédée Froger.
In 1957 French paratroopers led by Colonel Yves Godard systematically isolated and eliminated the FLN leadership in Algiers. Godard's extortion methods included torture. In June, la Pointe led teams setting explosives in street lights near bus stops and bombing a dance club that killed 17 people.
Saadi Yacef ordered the leadership to hide in separate addresses within the Casbah. After Yacef's capture, la Pointe and three companions, Hassiba Ben Bouali, Mahmoud "Hamid" Bouhamidi and 'Petit Omar', held out in hiding until 8 October. Tracked down by paras acting on a tip-off from an informer, Ali La Pointe was given the chance to surrender but refused, whereupon he, his companions and the house in which he was hiding were bombed by French paratroopers; 20 Algerians were killed in the blast.