Somali militants claim to have executed French hostage

Somali militants linked to al-Qaeda said on Thursday they had executed a French agent who French armed forces had tried to rescue at the weekend.

The al Shabaab rebel group said on its Twitter account that Denis Allex, held hostage since 2009, had been killed at 16:30 GMT on Wednesday.

"Let Muslims enjoy his execution and the French cry," Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab, al Shabaab's spokesman for military operations, told Reuters by telephone.

France has consistently said it believed Mr. Allex was killed in Saturday's failed rescue mission and have accused the militants of manipulating the media with their latest statements.

Two French commandos were killed in the failed raid which coincided with the launch of French air strikes against Islamist militants in the West African country of Mali.

The militants said on Wednesday the decision to kill Mr. Allex was unanimous and followed three years of what it called exhaustive attempts at negotiation.