Ali La Pointe

Who was Ali La Pointe?

Ali Ammar, also known as Ali La Pointe, was a guerrilla leader who fought for Algerian independence against the French. In the film, The Battle of Algiers, he was portrayed by Brahim Haggiag.

Ammar lived a life of petty crime and was serving a two-year prison sentence when war broke out in Algeria in 1954. Recruited in the notorious Barberousse prison by FLN militants, he became one of the FLN's most trusted and loyal lieutenants in Algiers. On 28 December 1956, he killed the Mayor of Boufarik, Amedee Froger.

In 1957 French paratroopers led by Colonel Yves Godard systematically isolated and eliminated the FLN leadership in Algiers. Godard's counter-terrorism methods included interrogation with torture. In June la Pointe led teams in setting explosives in street lights near public transportation stops and bombing a dance club that killed 17.

Saadi Yacef ordered the leadership to hide in separate addresses within the Casbah. After Yacef's capture Ali la Pointe and three companions, Hassiba Ben Bouali, 'Hamid' Bouhamidi and 'le petit Omar', held out in hiding until 8 October.