Somali Islamists deny death of French spy
France said today that it believes intelligence officer Denis Allex was killed during "intense combat".
– France's Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le DrianCommandos broke into where Allex was being detained last night and immediately faced strong resistance. Intense combat took place, during which - and now I speak with caution - everything leads us to believe that Denis Allex was unfortunately killed by his captors.
However, a spokesman for al Shabaab claimed the spy is still alive in a statement.
– Al Shabaab spokesmanThe injured French soldier is now in the custody of the mujahideen and Allex still remains safe and far from the location of the battle.
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