Kingsley Kobo, AfricaNews reporter in Abidjan, Ivory Coast
Al-Qaeda Maghreb said its members were responsible for the kidnapping of three Spanish aid workers in Mauritania and a Frenchman in Mali last month.
A spokesman for the terrorist group made the claim in an audio recording to the al-Jazeera TV station on Tuesday, reported the BBC.
The four Europeans have not been seen anywhere since the kidnappings despite the elaborate search put in place by Mauritanian and Malian security forces.
The French national, Pierre Camatte, 61, was taken from his hotel by gunmen in Menaka in Mali on 25 November, while the Spaniards: Albert Vilalta, 35, Roque Pascual, 50, and Alicia Gamez, 35, were snatched from an aid convoy near Mauritania's northern city of Nouadhibou on 29 November.
In the audio recording, al-Qaeda spokesman Saleh Abu Mohammad said his organization had “managed to kidnap four Europeans in two distinct operations.”
He said his group would contact France and Spain at a later date with its demands, but gave no further details about what these were, according to AFP.
AFCON: 46 hurt in Zambia victory celebrations09/02
African Peer Review Mechanism making progress08/02
Combating HIV infections among African women08/02
Legume cultivation booms in Western Kenya07/02
Malawi vendors chase out Chinese07/02
Zim: Informal sector urged to join HIV battle05/02
Elections: Wole Soyinka warns Mugabe, Wade03/02
AU elections rescheduled for June in Malawi01/02
