Wüstenschiff

Mauritanian court charges man in kidnap of Spanish hostages
29.03.2010 - expatica

A Mauritanian court has charged and jailed a man believed to be the main perpetrator in the Al-Qaeda kidnapping of three Spanish hostages in December, the prosecution team said Monday. Omar Ould Sid'Ahmed Ould Hamma, 50, known as "Omar As-Sahraoui" is being held in the Nouakchott central prison, read a statement from prosecutors. He was arrested by security forces in February on the border with Mali and has been kept in police cells since. Mauritania has also issued an international arrest warrant for three Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) members, including one of the AQIM leaders, Algerian Mokthar Belmokhtar, alias Belawar ... mehr

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Birgitt

Diplomatic row threatens Western-backed alliance in the Sahel against al Qaeda

Several days later, the rebels released Spanish aid worker Alicia Gamez, but two of her colleagues and an Italian couple are still being held hostage. Spanish Deputy Prime Minister Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega has denied press reports that Spain paid a ransom for Gamez and said her release was a tribute to the work of Spain’s diplomats and intelligence services. mehr...

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Alexander

When Separatism and Terrorism Rhyme Together
06.04.2010 - moroccopost

After long weeks of a wait and see attitude, the truth has been brought to light about the circumstances of the kidnapping in the popular main Nouadhibou-Nouakchott road on the 29th of November 2009, of three Spanish aid workers of a Catalan NGO transporting aids for underprivileged populations in some Sub-Saharan countries, as well as the kidnapping of an Italian couple on 18 December 2009, in the region of Kobeni located at about 700 kms away from Nouakchott ... mehr

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Birgitt

Bedrohung aus der Nachbarschaft
Spaniens Umgang mit El Kaida im Maghreb
07.04.2010 - Deutschlandradio

Vier Monate ist es inzwischen her, dass in Mali drei spanische Entwicklungshelfer entführt worden sind - einer wurde bisher freigelassen, von den anderen beiden fehlt bis heute jede Spur. In Spanien wird daher die Frage diskutiert, welche Bedingungen man erfüllen darf und vor allem, welches Bedrohungspotenzial von El Kaida in einer Region ausgeht ... mehr

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Birgitt

Former al-Qaeda hostages urge release of Spaniards
20.04.2010 - AFP

OUAGADOUGOU — An Italian couple released last week in northern Mali by Al-Qaeda of the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) called on Tuesday for the release "as quickly as possible" of two Spaniards still held hostage. Giving details of their conditions in captivity, the couple who were freed on Friday declared that heat was a "veritable problem". Albert Vilalta and Roque Pascual, two Spanish aid workers kidnapped on November 29, 2009 in Mauritania, are still being held by AQIM in the northern Malian desert ... mehr

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SPANISH AID WORKERS HOSTAGES SIX MONTHS ON
03.06.2010 - Le@der

Six months after they were taken hostage by Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), the Catalan aid workers Albert Vilalta and Roque Pascual have become the individuals held by the group in the desert for the longest, with the exception of an Austrian couple who were held for eight months in 2008 ... mehr

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Birgitt

Mauritania won't free Qaeda prisoners for hostages
09.06.2010 - AFP

NOUAKCHOTT — Mauritania's defence minister ruled out freeing Al-Qaeda prisoners in return for Western hostages held in his country in an interview with AFP Wednesday. "We won't free any terrorist. It is a matter of principle. This would jeopardise the security of our country and our people," Hamadi Ould Baba Ould Hamadi said. "It is absolutely out of the question to release anyone or mediate in their release," he said, adding that "when you have the release of prisoners or ransom payments, you have terrorism." Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) -- which operates in the desert areas of Mali, Mauritania and Algeria -- is holding two Spanish hostages, Albert Vilalta, 35 and Roque Pascual, 50, who were kidnapped in November 2009 ... mehr

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SPANISH kidnapped by AQIM HOSTAGES IN MAURITANIA

The Sahel-Sahara band has become for Al Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb a sanctuary for trade hostages and drug trafficking.

The emir of Zone VI of Al Qaeda in the Maghreb, Mokhtar Benmokhtar engaged in secret negotiations through the Spanish authorities. mehr...

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Alexander

Body of Terrorist Linked to Spaniards’ Kidnapping Identified
01.07.2010 - laht

ALGIERS – A terrorist linked to the kidnappings of three Spanish aid workers last year died in a clash with the Algerian army 10 days ago, the El Khabar newspaper reported Wednesday. Madami Adjemlan’s body was identified by Algerian police, the newspaper said. The Mauritanian, who went by the alias Abu Yasser Etari, and three other members of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, or AQIM, were killed by army troops when they tried to enter Algeria near Tinzauatine, a town on the border with Mali. The terrorist’s body was identified using DNA, El Khabar said. The 34-year-old Adjemlan joined the terrorist unit led by Abderrazak El Para in 2000 ... mehr

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In diesem Zusammenhang hat es auch Verluste auf Seiten der Polizei gegeben zu haben:

Militants kill 11 gendarmes in Algeria

ALGIERS, Algeria — Suspected Islamic militants killed 11 Algerian gendarmes in a mortar and grenade attack near the North African nation's border with Mali on Wednesday, a security official said.

The gendarmes were carrying out a patrol in 4X4 vehicles in the town of Tinzaouatine when the attackers emerged from behind a rock, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of his department's policy. mehr...

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Alexander

Verurteilungen von Entführern und Helfern in Mauretanien

Espagnols enlevés en Mauritanie: perpétuité requise contre quatre accusés

Le parquet de Nouakchott a requis mardi la prison à vie avec travaux forcés contre quatre auteurs présumés de l'enlèvement en novembre 2009 de trois Espagnols en Mauritanie, dont deux sont toujours détenus au Mali par Al-Qaïda au Maghreb islamique (Aqmi), a constaté l'AFP.

L'emprisonnement à perpétuité avec travaux forcés et la confiscation de ses biens ont été requis contre le principal accusé, Omar Sid'Ahmed Ould Hamma, dit "Omar le Sarhaoui" qui, selon le parquet, a "directement opéré l'enlèvement des Espagnols" avec deux autres Maliens en fuite...
http://www.ani.mr/?menuLink=9bf31c7ff06 ... News=10110

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Götz

Zwölf Jahre Haft für Kopf von Entführerbande in Mauretanien
21.07.2010 - Stern

Im nordwestafrikanischen Mauretanien ist der Kopf einer Entführerbande mit Verbindungen zum Terrornetzwerk El Kaida am Mittwoch zu zwölf Jahren Gefängnis verurteilt worden. Das Strafgericht in Nouakchott sah es als erwiesen an, dass die Bande des 52-jährigen Mannes aus dem benachbarten Mali im November drei spanische Entwicklungshelfer entführt ... mehr

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Two Spanish Al-Qaeda hostages 'doing well': Madrid
23.07.2010 - expatica

Two Spaniards held in northern Mali by Al-Qaeda of the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) for nearly eight months are "doing well", Deputy Prime Minister Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega said Friday. "The two Spanish aid workers are doing well. The Spanish government continues to work daily to secure their release," she told a news conference ... mehr

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Worry about Spaniards after French hostage killed (News Feature)
26.07.2010 - M & C

Cairo - French citizen Michel Germaneau, 78, who was executed late Sunday, became the latest victim of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), an organization responsible for multiple kidnappings, killings, and attacks in North Africa. The death has deepened concern for two Spanish aid workers still being held hostage since last year in the North African desert ... mehr

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Mali says Sahara raid hinders bid to free Spaniards
10.08.2010 - Reuters

BAMAKO - A failed French-Mauritanian military raid to rescue a hostage in the Sahara last month has complicated efforts to free two remaining Spanish captives, but negotiations could still work, a Malian official said ... mehr

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Birgitt