Paris, France (CNN) -- France plans to "mobilize all of its state agencies" to free five French nationals taken hostage in Niger last week, President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Wednesday, according to his spokesman.
"The president considers this a very serious affair," spokesman Luc Chatel told reporters.
Al Qaeda's North African wing, known as al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, said it is responsible for last week's kidnapping of five French nationals in Niger, the Arabic-language news network Al-Jazeera reported on Tuesday.
The news agency broadcast an audio recording of a voice it identified as that of Salah Abou Mohammed, a spokesman for AQIM. CNN was not immediately able to independently confirm the report.
"Even though security was tight in the location and the security guards were many, the soldiers of Islam took control of all security and kidnapped five French nuclear experts that work at the company Areva. And we claim responsibility for this blessed operation," he said, as reported by al-Jazeera.
CNN
