Mali hostage-takers arrested
French nationals Philippe Verdon and Serge Lazarevic, who are being held hostage by al-Qaeda, are seen surrounded by masked men holding guns in an undisclosed location in Mali, in this undated handout picture. French nationals Philippe Verdon and Serge Lazarevic, who are being held hostage by al-Qaeda, are seen surrounded by masked men holding guns in an undisclosed location in Mali, in this undated handout picture.
Monrovia - The alleged kidnappers of two French citizens abducted from their hotel in central Mali last month have been arrested by the country's authorities, local media reported on Tuesday.
State police identified the armed men, who said they were operating in conjunction with al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) - a group that mostly operates independently but has ties to al-Qaeda's global movement.
According to local television, no information had yet emerged about the fate of the hostages.
Video footage of three other hostages, from Sweden, the Netherlands and South Africa, who were kidnapped from a restaurant in Timbuktu at the end of November, was also broadcast Tuesday.
The footage shows two women and a man, guarded by armed men. - Sapa-dpa