Shabaab may execute French hostage
2013-01-16 10:20
Nairobi - Somali Islamists said on Wednesday they have
decided to execute the French intelligence officer they have held for more than
three years and who was the object on Saturday of a botched rescue bid.
The al-Qaeda linked Shabaab in a statement said they have
"reached a unanimous decision to execute the French intelligence officer,
Denis Allex". Paris has said the officer was most likely killed by his
captors during the failed rescue attempt.
A senior Shabaab official confirmed to AFP on Wednesday that
Allex "has been sentenced and this judgement will not be changed. As far
as we are concerned this man should die".
The Shabaab have not provided any proof that Allex, presumed
to be a pseudonym, is still alive.
The operation to free Allex, held since July 2009, was a
failure, with two other French soldiers killed. The French retrieved one of the
two bodies. Pictures of the second dead soldier, presented by the Shabaab as
the commander of the raid, have been posted on the Islamists' Twitter account.
- SAPA
