Al-Qaida Holding Five European Hostages In Mali

by Florian Flade

Nearly three weeks after five Europeans were abducted in Mali the terrorist network „Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb“ (AQIM) has claimed responsibility for the kidnappings. In a new statement released in Jihadi Internet forums AQIM claims two French nationals were kidnapped in the Northeast of Mali on November 24. Both men disappeared from their hotel in the town of Hombori.

The following day, November 25, European tourists were sitting in a restaurant in the city of Timbuktu when armed gunmen attacked and abducted one Swede, a Dutchman and a South African holding a British passport. A 58 year-old German man named Martin A. who was part of the tourist group resisted the kidnappers and was then killed by the Al-Qaida gunmen.

AQIM now presents two images of the two hostage groups in addition to a written statement demanding France to end all military campaigns against Muslims. Further more AQIM urges the release of imprisoned Islamists.

Germany´s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has meanwhile confirmed the death of a German citizen in Mali. The Ministry also released a travel warning fro Mali, especially in the region around the ancient city of Timbuktu.

 

Al-Qaida´s Abu Yahya Calls For Algerian Revolution

by Florian Flade

In a new video release, Al-Qaida´s Libyan ideologue Abu Yahya al-Libi calls for a Islamist uprising in Algeria to topple the regime of Abd al-Aziz Bouteflika who rules the North African country since 1999. The new 28-minute video speech is titled “Algeria and the Battle of Patience”.

Abu Yahya is seen sitting in front of a curtain, dressed in a white robe, talking about Algeria´s past, the French occupation and the need for the Muslims to get rid of the ruling regime.

“France has withdraw its army but France´s greed remains and her plans in Algeria live on like deadly poison”, the Al-Qaida commander claims. Abu Yahya further says that the revolution that has toppled the regimes of Tunisia, Egypt and Libya has to spread to Algeria in the wake of implementing a Shariah state.

The “Arab Spring” did in fact not effect Algeria to the extent of a regime change. Eventhough Algerian police admitts there have been about 11,000 protests in the country in 2010, this year the Algerian people were not able to organize a uprising big enough to topple Bouteflika.

One reason might be the very vivid memories of Algeria´s long and bloody civil war. Political unrest and instability for many Algerians means violence, death and suffering. The status quo therefore is seen as a lesser evil.

On the other hand, the ruling Party “Front of the Socialist Forces (FFS)” has shown signs of adapting to the changing situation within the country. The regime does not leave any space for opposition partys to act and reduced all the political elements in the country to be spectators of the regime´s policy.

“Plus ça change plus c’est la même chose” – is a slogan shared by many Algerians when it comes to politics.

Even with the Jihadist element of the “Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb” (AQIM) formerly the “Salafist Group of Preaching and Combat” (GSCP) the latest Al-Qaida call for a Algerian revolution will not result in any political mass movement.

French Al-Qaida Hostages´Message To Sarkozy

by Florian Flade

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Al-Qaida´s North African branch “Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb” (AQIM) has released a new video/audio message from the four French nuclear worker kidnapped last September. The video, which contains still images of the French hostages Daniel Larribe, Pierre Legrand, Thierry Dol and Marc Furrer and their audio messages urging French President Nicolas Sarkozy to withdraw troops from Afghanistan and thereby meet the demands of al-Qaida.

France has no right to be involved in the war in Afghanistan, the hostages say in similar statements recorded between April 11-13. President Sarkozy should pull the French soldiers out of Afghanistan.

Seven staff of a Uranium mine operated by a French company were kidnapped by Al-Qaida militants in Niger. In February three of the group, a Madagascan man, a Togolese man and a French woman were released by the Islamists. According to some media speculation based on unnamed sources close to negotiation talks said Al-Qaida had demanded US 130 Million ransom. If these demands were met by the French government is unknown.