France suspects Al-Qaeda holding French hostages in Niger

 Paris, 20 Sept-(ANA)-France suspects that seven people kidnapped while working for French companies in Niger are in the hands of Al-Qaeda and are now being taken to a remote part of Mali, according to Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner.

The hostages were seized on Thursday from the town of Arlit in the north of Niger, where France's national nuclear corporation Areva has a major uranium mine.

The kidnappers were Arabic-speaking gunmen driving pick-up trucks, according to officials in Niger.

"We think they're heading for Mali, but we don't really know. Surveillance has been stepped up. The Niger army is on a war footing. All our services have been put on alert," Kouchner told French radio.

The minister said that members of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, or Aqim - the same group that murdered a French hostage in July - were the most likely suspects, but stressed that no one had yet claimed responsibility.

The kidnappers themselves may have been mercenaries who will sell the hostages on to a terrorist group, he said.

France has not to date received any demands from the hostage-takers, the Foreign Ministry confirms. (ANA)

FA/ANA/20 September 2010-------