_
_
_
_

Al Qaeda blamed for abduction of Spanish aid workers in Algeria

Italian also taken from Western Sahara refugee camp by unidentified armed kidnappers

The Polisario, the ruling party organization of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, has accused Al Qaeda of the Saturday night abduction of three aid workers in the Rabouni refugee camp, near the city of Tindouf in Algeria. Two of the abducted are Spanish - Ainhoa Fernández de Rincón from Madrid, and Enric Gonyalons Sureda from Mallorca. Both were working at the Western Saharan refugee camp for Spanish NGOs. The third aid worker is Italian.

The 36-year-old Gonyalons was reportedly wounded by a gun shot while resisting the attack, which was carried out by ten armed men in military gear. They arrived in two all-terrain vehicles and seemed to know the layout of the camp well, according to eye witness accounts.

More information
Seized NGO workers not in Somalia, say police
Spanish NGO workers seized in Kenya attack
Spain cautious over authors of Algerian kidnapping
Algerian soldiers kill four suspected of kidnapping Spanish aid workers

Brahim Ghali, representative for the Polisario in Algiers, said he "directly accused the Al Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb of being behind the abduction of these three foreigners," according to AFP news agency.

The group, which has been classed as a terrorist organization by both the US Department of State and the European Union, has been leading an insurgency campaign against the Algerian government, and has previously kidnapped Westerners, including Spaniards and Italians.

No one has yet claimed responsibility for the kidnapping, but AQIM has been active in the Sahel and Sahara regions in recent times. In February AQIM abducted an Italian woman in Algeria. Three Catalan aid workers were finally released by the terrorist group in 2010.

Meanwhile, little is known about the whereabouts of two Spanish workers for Doctors Without Borders, seized in Kenya near the Somalian border 10 days ago.

Tu suscripción se está usando en otro dispositivo

¿Quieres añadir otro usuario a tu suscripción?

Si continúas leyendo en este dispositivo, no se podrá leer en el otro.

¿Por qué estás viendo esto?

Flecha

Tu suscripción se está usando en otro dispositivo y solo puedes acceder a EL PAÍS desde un dispositivo a la vez.

Si quieres compartir tu cuenta, cambia tu suscripción a la modalidad Premium, así podrás añadir otro usuario. Cada uno accederá con su propia cuenta de email, lo que os permitirá personalizar vuestra experiencia en EL PAÍS.

En el caso de no saber quién está usando tu cuenta, te recomendamos cambiar tu contraseña aquí.

Si decides continuar compartiendo tu cuenta, este mensaje se mostrará en tu dispositivo y en el de la otra persona que está usando tu cuenta de forma indefinida, afectando a tu experiencia de lectura. Puedes consultar aquí los términos y condiciones de la suscripción digital.

Recomendaciones EL PAÍS
Recomendaciones EL PAÍS
_
_