Topic: Michel Germaneau

The reported deaths in northern Mali of two top commanders of al-Qaida's North African wing has heightened fears for the safety of French hostages.

Authorities in Morocco claimed they arrested 27 people who were part of an al-Qaida cell plotting a terrorist attack in the country.

Algerian forces are quietly waging an offensive against members of al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, an Algerian official revealed.

The five French nationals kidnapped by al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb are believed to be alive, an official from the French foreign ministry said Wednesday.

France is on high alert for a possible suicide bomber targeting public transportation, the government said.

Security forces killed a would-be suicide bomber who was targeting a military barracks in the east of Mauritania, a military official said Wednesday.

U.S. citizens are at risk when traveling to Mauritania because of the increasing threat posed by al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, the State Department said.

French hostage Michel Germaneau may have been killed by al-Qaida captors before a rescue attempt last week, French officials said.

The slaying of a French engineer by al-Qaida is a reminder of the threat posed by transnational terrorist groups, a U.N. spokesman said.

The French government pledged Tuesday to pump up its fight against al-Qaida in northern Africa after kidnappers killed a French hostage in the Sahel desert.