‘Frenchman held to protest Mali intervention’
25 Dec 2012 6:34 AM IST
A new radical Islamist group, Ansaru has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of a French national in northern Nigeria, citing the stance of France on Islam and its military intervention in Mali as justification. Francis Colump, 63, an engineer with a France-based company Vergnet, was abducted last week in northern Nigeria’s Katsina state, where he was working on a wind power project.
Ansaru, in a statement to journalists, gave as reasons for their attack, France support for military intervention in Mali and flouting of Islamic laws.
It said the law that outlaws the use of Islamic veil by Muslims women in France is an infringement on their religious rights.
‘This group will continue launching attacks on the French government and French citizens... as long as it does not change its stance on these two issues,’ Ansaru said.
Ansaru, in a statement to journalists, gave as reasons for their attack, France support for military intervention in Mali and flouting of Islamic laws.
It said the law that outlaws the use of Islamic veil by Muslims women in France is an infringement on their religious rights.
‘This group will continue launching attacks on the French government and French citizens... as long as it does not change its stance on these two issues,’ Ansaru said.
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