The Algerian army has found four motorcycles and an all-terrain vehicle belonging to some of the 15 European tourists still missing and believed held by an Islamic group, but there is still no trace of the hostages, officials said. The army said soldiers were led to the vehicles, in a remote desert region some 150 kilometers (93 miles) north of the southern city of Illizi, by members of the nomadic Tuareg people.
The hostages, who include 10 Germans, are being kept together in one location that is known to security officials, Algerian President Bouteflika said during a visit to the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Tuesday, contradicting reports that they had been separated into smaller groups after an army raid freed 17 other Europeans on May 19. Bouteflika suggested negotiations with the kidnappers were not being ruled out. The hostages, who belonged to seven different groups of tourists, were seized between late February and late April while on trips across a desert trail through southern Algeria. mig
Jun. 6
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Reuters) - Islamic extremists with weapons of mass destruction pose an increasing danger to Canada, although the immediate threat remains low, the country's spy agency warned on Thursday.
The Canadian Security Intelligence Service said Ottawa's efforts to fight terrorism, including sending troops to the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan, "has not gone unnoticed" by extremist groups such as al Qaeda.
"The service is aware of emerging terrorist threats and tactics that could have severe consequences for Canadians," CSIS warned in its annual report on security threats.