Kidnapped tourist in Algeria alive

ALGIERS, Algeria, May 19 (UPI) -- Algerian authorities say they have received word an Italian woman taken hostage by al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb is "alive and in good health."

Algerian Tourism Minister Smail Mimoune Thursday said he received information indicating Italian tourist Maria Sandra Mariani, 53, was "alive and in good health ... a few days ago."

The Italian news agency ANSA reported that Mariani had broken radio silence and said she was being held by the AQIM, which took her hostage Feb. 2 in the Algerian Sahara near the border with Niger. The AQIM is a terrorist organization with ties to al-Qaida.

ANSA said AQIM has conducted several kidnappings in the region between Mali, Mauritania and Niger in the past three years. It is the first such kidnapping in Algeria since 2003, when 32 western tourists were taken captive.