Two Algerians, seeking political asylum in Britain, told reporters that they belonged to the Algerian secret police and had participated in killings of civilians, killings which were then blamed  on Islamic radicals. The two men also said they saw many incidents of torture of captured Islamic radicals. Accusations that the government has been responsible for many of the civilian deaths, and used torture against captured Islamic radicals, have been bouncing around for years. But firm evidence is hard to come by. The Algerian government does have a large secret police force, and the country is pretty much run like a police state.