Madrid - Spain's secret service CNI has warned Spanish embassies in North Africa that Islamists could be planning to kidnap European citizens in the region, the daily El Mundo reported Thursday. The CNI has sent warnings to embassies in Algeria, Mauritania, Morocco and to representations in several other African countries, according to the daily, which quoted sources close to the intelligence service.
The report said that an Islamist cell, the name of which was not given, could be planning to abduct Europeans in an attempt to extort ransom money for terrorist attacks.
Radical Islamists could also be planning to hijack airplanes, according to the report.
The sources did not say whether the extremists would target tourists or Europeans residing in the region.
