Algerian Islamists kidnap a French national and threaten to execute him

A French national was kidnapped by armed members of the Caliphate Soldiers, an Islamist splinter group with close ties to the Islamic State, according to France’s foreign ministry. The kidnappers have released a video in which they threaten to kill the French man if the French government does not cease its military intervention in Iraq.

The video was published on the internet shortly after the announcement by the French ministry on Monday. On the video, the Caliphate Soldiers claim responsibility for the kidnapping, and identify the man as Herve Gourdel, age 55, from Nice in southern France. The group said that it will kill Mr. Gourdel if France continues with its military intervention in Iraq.

“We, the Caliphate Soldiers in Algeria, in compliance with the order of our leader Caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, give Hollande, president of the criminal French state, 24 hours to cease its hostility against the Islamic State, otherwise the fate of his citizen will be slaughter. To save his life, you must officially announce the end of your hostility against the Islamic State,” a speaker on the video said.

The French foreign ministry later confirmed the authenticity of the video. In New York City, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said that the kidnapping of a French hostage would not deter French participation in the United States-led coalition of nations against Islamist State militants in the Middle East.

Read more about the story at The Guardian.