Algerian Army Kills Leader Of Group That Beheaded Frenchman

By Bill Chappell

Published December 23, 2014 at 8:53 AM CST

A picture of French tourist and mountain guide Herve Gourdel, 55, who was killed after being kidnapped on Sept. 21 while hiking in Algeria's Djurdjura National Park. The leader of the group that killed Gourdel has been killed in a military attack.

A man who led a group that beheaded a French journalist has been killed in an attack by Algeria's military. Abdelmalek Gouri had been a wanted criminal in Algeria for nearly 20 years. His Islamic State splinter group claimed responsibility for killing hiker Herve Gourdel in September.

Gouri, a former al-Qaida figure who France 24 says also used the name Khaled Abu Suleiman, was killed along with two other members of extremist group Jund al-Khilafah, which in September announced it is now affiliated with ISIS. The group said Gourdel's killing was retaliation for France joining the fight against ISIS in Iraq.

The AP explains how Gouri was targeted for the attack:

"A local security official said the military had been tracking Gouri for a while and nearly caught him a month before.

" 'This time the intelligence services had information that he was coming to visit his parents so they set an ambush,' the officer said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media."