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Deadline set for Austria hostages | |
(20 minutes later) | |
Al-Qaeda in North Africa has issued a deadline for the release of two Austrian tourists it claims it abducted in Tunisia last month. | |
In an internet statement, the militant group gave Austria three days to secure the freedom of members held in Algeria and Tunisia in exchange for the two. | In an internet statement, the militant group gave Austria three days to secure the freedom of members held in Algeria and Tunisia in exchange for the two. |
The group posted images of the pair, whom it says it seized on 22 February, surrounded by militants in a desert. | The group posted images of the pair, whom it says it seized on 22 February, surrounded by militants in a desert. |
Austrian media named the two as Andrea Kloiber, 43, and Wolfgang Ebner, 51. | Austrian media named the two as Andrea Kloiber, 43, and Wolfgang Ebner, 51. |
The statement said: "Austria is responsible for the lives of the two hostages in the event of the expiration of the time period and not responding to our demands." | |
Face obscured | |
The woman in the photographs, said to be Ms Kloiber, was shown wearing a blue headscarf and her face was digitally obscured. | |
Analysts say this may be because showing a woman's face is prohibited under radical Islamist beliefs. | |
Relatives reported them missing when they did not return from a holiday to Tunisia on 1 March. | |
The Austrian government said on Tuesday it was doing all it could to find the pair. | |
Tunisia, a popular destination for European holidaymakers, has seen attacks on tourists by al-Qaeda in the past. | |
In 2002, a truck bomb outside a synagogue on the Tunisian island of Djerba killed 21 people, including 14 German tourists. | In 2002, a truck bomb outside a synagogue on the Tunisian island of Djerba killed 21 people, including 14 German tourists. |