Mauritania: Terrorists kill four French

by magharebia.com

Mauritanian investigators suspect three al-Qaeda-linked terrorists are behind the ambush slaying of four French tourists, Reuters reported Tuesday (December 25th). Three gunmen who allegedly belong to the Algeria-based al-Qaeda Organisation in the Islamic Maghreb are believed to be responsible for the Monday attack on a family camping outside the village of Aleg, east of Nouakchott. The sole survivor, a man in his 70s, was evacuated first to Nouakchott and is currently under intensive care in Dakar with a serious injury to the leg.

Five people were arrested, including a man who allegedly arranged a taxi for the three gunmen. Nouakchottinfo.com reported that Mauritanian security services have arrested the wife of Abdelkader Ould Moustapha a.k.a. Abu Said, an alleged member of a Mauritanian terror group. Security services said they are searching for three other suspects. Police said they may have crossed the border into Senegal or Mali. Malian authorities have reportedly dispatched security forces along the border.