Jound Khilafa claims kidnapping of Frenchman in Algeria

French foreign ministry confirmed on Monday that a French national was kidnapped in Algeria over the weekend. A group which called itself “Jound Khilafa” claimed responsibility for the operation.

“A French national was kidnapped in Tizi Ouzou where he was staying,” said the ministry in a release posted on the website of the French embassy in Algiers.

“No one has claimed responsibility for this operation,” it added.

According to the same source, all the means were mobilized to find “our national. The State’s departments were mobilized as well and we don’t exclude any hypothesis.”

The release also said France is in permanent contact with Algerian authorities which “support us.”

Jound Khilafa claimed responsibility for the kidnapping. It called on French President François Hollande to stop his war on ISIS in return for the release of the hostage within 24 hours.

A video tape posted by the group on Jihadist websites showed Herve Gourdel, 55, calling on the French president to intervene for his release.

Earlier, Echorouk News reported that a French national was kidnapped on Sunday in an area between the provinces of Tizi Ouzou and Bouira (100 km and 125 km east of Algiers, respectively).

“The national is a hiking coach. He was with 5 Algerians trainees. The terrorist group released them and held the Frenchman hostage,” Echorouk News said citing sources.

It added that the army, the National Gendarmerie and the police launched an intensive searching operation in the area to find out the missing Frenchman.