Algerian opposition figure arrested at Bouteflika's hospital

An Algeria opposition figure has been arrested at the Swiss hospital where incumbent President Abdelaziz Bouteflika is being treated, Swiss police have announced.

Algerian businessman Rachid Nekkaz was arrested inside the University Hospitals of Geneva, police spokeswoman Joanna Matta said. 

Nekkaz, who has cultivated a mass following among young people, said he would register in the upcoming elections. 

As a holder of French and Algerian citizenship, Nekkaz will not be able to run due to a law banning candidates of dual citizenship, RT reported. 

There was not explanation of the reasons for his arrest.

Bouteflika headed to Switzerland for "routine medical checks" in February, with questions over his ability to run the country being raised due to his ill-health.

He warned from the hospital on Thursday that continued anti-government protest could plunge Algeria into chaos, echoing similar claims made by dictators during the Arab Spring.

Algeria has seen large protests in the past month after President Bouteflika announced he would stand for a fifth term in office, extending his twenty-year long rule. 

Thousands of protesters gathered in the capital Algiers today in the third Friday of protests against Bouteflika. 

Bouteflika, 81, who uses a wheelchair and has rarely been seen in public since suffering a stroke in 2013, announced on 10 February that he will run for another term in office in the 18 April presidential election.

He is Algeria's longest-serving president and a veteran of its independence struggle who has clung to power since 1999 despite his ill health.