Ali La Pointe

Ali Ammar (Arabic: علي عمار‎; 14 May 1930 – 8 October 1957), better known by his nom-de-guerre Ali la Pointe, was an Algerian militant, prominent revolutionary, and guerilla figure of the Algerian War. He is best known for being one of the FLN commanders during the Battle of Algiers. Prior to his revolutionary career, Ali was convicted of minor offenses, including theft, and was serving a two-year prison sentence in Barberousse prison when the Algerian War broke out. Recruited in the prison by FLN militants, he became one of their key 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 and tactics 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', hid until 8 October. Tracked down on a tip-off from an informer, Ali La Pointe was given the chance to surrender but refused. He, his companions, and the house in which he was hiding were bombed by French paratroopers, killing him along with 20 other Algerians.