Pat Dollard

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CAIRO, Egypt- Al-Qaida’s branch for North Africa on Thursday set a three-day deadline to meet conditions for the release of two Austrian tourists it claimed to have kidnapped in Tunisia last month.

In a statement posted on the Internet—which included six photographs purportedly showing Austrians Wolfgang Ebner and Andrea Kloiber—al- Qaida in Islamic North Africa said it would free the pair if all of the group’s members were released from jails in Tunisia and Algeria. The posting gave Austrian authorities three days, starting midnight Thursday, to comply.

The authenticity of the statement couldn’t immediately be verified but it was posted on a Web site linked to the group.

“Austria is responsible for the lives of the two hostages in the event of the expiration of the time period and not responding to our demands,” is said and urged families of the two Austrians to pressure their government to meet the group’s demands.

The woman in the photographs, said to be Kloiber, was shown wearing a headscarf and her face was obscured.

(AP)