Wüstenschiff

Al-Qaeda's affiliate in North Africa released Tuesday a new proof-of-life video of Swiss missionary Beatrice Stockly [...] The Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) video, which lasts two minutes and 17 seconds, was posted on social media sites Telegram and Twitter, according to SITE. In the clip a woman whose head is covered by a black veil identifies herself as Stockly. She says the date of the recording is December 31, 2016, and that she has been held hostage by AQIM for 360 days [...] The group said it would free her in exchange for a number of AQIM fighters jailed in Mali and one of their leaders held in The Hague. Switzerland has demanded her release without conditions.

An al-Qaida-linked group in Mali has released a proof-of-life video showing six foreign hostages, a group that monitors jihadist communications says, shortly before the French president arrived in the West African country for an anti-terror summit. The recently formed Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen issued the video Saturday on Telegram, the SITE Intelligence Group said. The video shows Stephen McGowan of South Africa, Elliot Kenneth Arthur of Australia, Iulian Ghergut of Romania, Beatrice Stockly of Switzerland, Gloria Cecilia Narvaez of Colombia and Sophie Petronin of France.