Mauritanian Al-Qaeda detainees renounce extremism

Twenty-five Mauritanian detainees, accused of being Al-Qaeda supporters, issued a statement Thursday from a Nouakchott prison renouncing Muslim extremism.

The 25 are among 60 men accused of being members of militant groups, mostly the Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), the network's north African branch.

The men who signed the statement were arrested at different times since the Mauritanian government launched a crackdown on extremism in 2005.

"We confirm ... our total innocence of what we are accused of: membership of a (terrorist) organisation and threatening the security and stability of our beloved country," said the statement, widely reported by Mauritanian media.

The men were the first to publicly renounce extremism. They said they are "attached to the lines set out by the ulema (religious leaders) who have authority in this country, who watch over its security and stability."

Observers said the statement could encourage the Mauritanian government to open a dialogue with the different Salafist Muslim groups in the country. So far the authorities have not yet reacted to the statement.

Mauritanian Muslim intellectuals, who have denounced extremism, have tried to talk with militant Muslim groups to try to convince them to renounce violence.

The campaign was launched after a suicide attack in October by a Mauritanian militant who blew him self up near the French embassy in Nouakchott, wounding three people.