4 million-euro ransom for Italians

(ANSAmed) - Cairo, October 12 - The two Italians abducted in Libya last month are thought to be in the hands of a group led by an Algerian linked to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) but who is acting on his own account, an Algerian security source has told the website Middle East Eye (MEE). The group is allegedly demanding a four-million-euro ransom for the hostages, the source added. "The group is made of Libyans and Algerians and it is led by an Algerian man. His name is Abdellah Belakahal," the source said.
    The group has threatened "to surrender the hostages to AQIM or to an Islamic State's cell" if the ransom is not paid, he added. There has been no official confirmation of the reports.
    Bruno Cacace, 56, and Danilo Calonego, 68, were abducted together with a Canadian man on September 20 near Ghat in southern Libya.
    They worked as engineers for the Italian company Contratti Internazionali Costruzioni (CO.I.COS) at the airport in Ghat.