Algerian Hijackers’ Group Claims It Murdered Priests
Algeria’s radical Armed Islamic Group on Wednesday took responsibility for the slaying of four Catholic priests in Algeria after four of its members were slain by French commandos who stormed a hijacked Air France jetliner in Marseilles.
The priests, three Frenchmen and a Belgian, were killed Tuesday, a day after commandos rescued 170 hostages and ended the hijacking, which began Saturday in Algiers.
In a statement faxed to news organizations, the Armed Islamic Group, or GIA, said the priests died as part of a campaign of “annihilation and physical liquidation of Christian crusaders.”
The French priests were Christian Cheissel, 36, Jean Chevillard, 69, and Alain Dieulangard, 75. Charles Deckers, a 70-year-old Belgian, had set up an association in Algiers to promote better understanding between Christians and Muslims.
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