Jihadist attack? Swiss woman abduction probed

It was a Jihadist attack.

This is the conclusion of authorities in Mali following the abduction of a Swiss woman from her home in Timbuktu, northern Mali on Friday.

This is the second time that the woman has been abducted.

“We now know that subcontractors of Al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) conducted the operation, it was highly likely that the hostage remained overnight in Timbuktu,” a source said.

However, the head of Mali’s anti-terror unit conveyed a different message. “We have no news since the kidnapping,” said Boubacar Sidiki Samaké, the head of the Anti-terrorism Unit in Mali.

The Swiss woman identified as Beatrice Stockly had lived for several years in Timbuktu , where she had returned to settle.

A number of foreigners have been kidnapped in Mali in recent years by jihadist groups.