The two faces of Hamza Bendelladj, the Algerian cyberthief who became a hero to his people for having duped the West
data-modal-image-caption=Hamza Bendelladj, January 7, 2013, the day after his arrest at Bangkok airport. data-modal-image-credit=SOMCHAI POOMLARD / Bangkok Post via AFP> 
Nicknamed "the smiling hacker," this mysterious father was acquitted in France due to an absurd procedural error. He is expected to be retried in a few weeks, after serving fifteen years in prison in the United States.
A remorseless cybercriminal for the American justice system. A true hero, a symbol of success, for a large number of Algerians . Hamza Bendelladj, a hacker recognized by his peers for having been among the FBI's top 10 most wanted criminals, is due to go on trial next September in France - two years after his hearing was canceled due to an aberrant procedural error, and one year after serving a 15-year prison sentence in the United States.
Today, the Kabyle , born in 1988 in the commune of Tizi-Ouzou, in the far north of Algeria, is nowhere to be found, casting doubt on whether or not he will appear at his trial, scheduled for Paris. "He has completely disappeared from the radar," cybercrime specialist Damien Bancal, founder of Zataz.com, who regularly spoke with the hacker, noted to Le Figaro . "He was previously present on social networks, even when he was behind bars in Arizona. Since he came out…
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