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Sunday, 14 July 2013

Body of French hostage likely found in Mali: ministry


Body of French hostage likely found in Mali: ministry
The body of a French hostage who was announced killed by his Al-Qaeda captors in March has "very likely" been found in Mali, the foreign ministry said in Paris Sunday. Tests are currently being done to see if the body found in early July is that of Philippe Verdon, who was kidnapped by Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) from a hotel while on business in northeastern Mali in November 2011. "There is a very strong possibility that a body recently found in northern Mali is unfortunately that" of Verdon, ministry spokesman Philippe Lalliot said. Earlier on Sunday, French President Francois Hollande said in an interview that Verdon appeared to have been killed. "We have the worst of news on Philippe Verdon," Hollande said. "Everything indicates that he died weeks ago." AQIM announced in March that it had killed 53-year-old Verdon, but French authorities have not officially confirmed this. AQIM is currently holding hostage eight Europeans, including five French nationals. Thierry Dol, Daniel Larribe, Pierre Legrand and Marc Feret -- mostly working for French public nuclear giant Areva and its subcontractor Satom -- were kidnapped in Niger by Al-Qaeda-linked militants on September 16, 2010. Francoise Larribe, wife of Daniel, was also captured but was released in 2011. The fifth French hostage, Serge Lazarevic, was kidnapped along with Verdon in the night of November 24, 2011 at their hotel in Hombori. Their families insisted they were no mercenaries or secret service agents. Hollande said on Sunday France was "doing everything" to bring the hostages back but "will not talk so as not to complicate a situation which is bad enough". AQIM said in late June that the eight Europeans are alive and that it would soon release a new video of the five Frenchmen.


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