Algerian army claims one of French hiker’s murderers killed
The Algerian army has killed one of the jihadist kidnappers responsible for the beheading of French hiker, Hervé Gourdel. It said the unnamed jihadist was killed in an anti-terrorist operation in October.
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The Islamist jihadi organisation Jund al-Khilafa, which is allied to the Islamic State armed group, killed Gourdel in September, following French air strikes in Iraq.
This is the first official declaration about the case for six weeks and details remain sketchy.
In a statement, Algerian Justice Minister Tayeb Louh said a “terrorist” shot dead during a government operation in October was one of Gourdel's kidnappers.
The dead man’s name has not been made public but observers say he was probably killed during the government operation on 10-11 October during which six people were killed close to where Gourdel was kidnapped.
Two months after his execution there are still no details about attempts to locate Gourdel's body.
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