AQIM: vi håller Johan Gustafsson levande

På lördagen uttalade sig Al-Qaida i Islamiska Maghreb (AQIM) om svenske Johan Gustafsson och de andra européer som hålls gisslan sedan hösten 2011.

Hela uttalandet finns översatt till engelska.

"It is not a secret to the world the war the occurred against the Muslims in north Mali recently by France and its agents, and what it witnessed from intense and indiscriminate bombardment against our people and our brothers in Muslim Mali, and it is clear to the discerning analyst that this ferocious campaign came to achieve several goals, the most important of it:

 Ending the rule of the Sharia that exposed with its leniency and justice the delusion and injustice of the global jungle law.

 Ending the case of the hostages, by getting rid of the hostages themselves (in the same way of ending the case of Michel Germaneau, despite of the wide criticism for the French government then)

In this regard… we wish to reassure to the families and relatives of the hostages the safety of their sons, despite we have declared before that the intervention of France in Mali, will be as a signing on the decision of the hostages held by us, but it is obvious that the French president Francois Hollande, by his recklessness and arrogance, have decided to execute his citizens held by us, by himself, as the fastest way to solve this crisis and get rid of this case, which caused for him a lot of embarrassment.. for that we decided to manage this case by our way not the way of the butcher Hollande.

Despite we for almost three years were open to negotiations, and our demands were clear and legitimate, but sometimes they were met by refusal, and sometimes by willful blindness and carelessness, and provocation from the French government.

Taking into account the appeals and demands of the families of the European hostages who are held by us, we will publish soon Allah willing, a video showing the five French hostages (after the death of the sixth as we have confirmed previously), and also the three other European hostages. To assure to those families the will of the organization to ensure the safety of those hostages and its keenness of their return safely to their families and relatives, in return for fulfillment of our legitimate goals that are known by the French government.

Before conclusion we bear the French  government and its criminal alliance the full responsibility for the life of its citizens and their European comrades, who are held by us, and he who warns is excused."