A German priest who was preparing to celebrate Mass in Mali has been abducted, in what is deemed to be a rare occurrence.
According to the Press Association (PA), it is suspected that Islamic extremists kidnapped Rev Hans-Joachim Lohre in Mali's capital on Sunday, making it the first kidnapping of a westerner in the city in more than ten years.
Dia Monique Pare, the priest's colleague at the Institute of Islamic-Christian Training, said a neighbour saw "a black car without license plates parked in the institute's courtyard".
She also said investigators found Rev Lohre's crucifix necklace next to his car after the suspicious black car disappeared.
"The door of his car was open and there were footprints on the ground as though someone had been fighting," Ms Pare told PA.
The priest has lived in Mali for more than 30 years. No one has claimed responsibility for his disappearance.
