Says the country authorised the raid on the Kano compound in which Raupach was held
The North African Branch of the Islamic terrorist group, Al Qaida, has accused Germany of causing the death of its citizen who was held captive in Kano and killed on May 31.
Edgar Raupach was a German engineer working with Dantata Sawoe Construction Co. Ltd. He was kidnapped from a construction site in Kano in January, but lost his life during a raid by Nigerian soldiers on the premises where he was being held.
The Nigerian Army has however denied knowing that the German was being held in the premises and claimed that the kidnappers repeatedly stabbed Raupach until he died when the raid began.
Al Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) declared that Germany ordered the raid which was, according to them, a breach in their negotiations.
“Your government gave the green light for the operation,” the group stated in a message posted late Monday night on an internet forum.
Germany had earlier acquiesced to one of the group’s demands by releasing Filiz Gelowicz, a German woman who was last year convicted of terrorism charges.
AQIM further warned European countries to desist from dealing in foolishness during hostage situations, as more lives would be lost than necessary.
However, on Tuesday, a German official denied claims that the government sanctioned the raid, saying that the raid was merely a random one carried out by the Nigerian military on suspected terrorist base.
“German authorities were not informed beforehand,” the official who requested anonymity said in Berlin.
“Nigerian authorities have already (said) they had no knowledge of the whereabouts of the German.”
