Switzerland: The death of Beatrice Stöckli claimed in a video by jihadists by National Media

The death of Swiss hostage Béatrice Stöckli last October was claimed in a video by the Support Group for Islam and Muslims. Information that the RTS was able to obtain on the spot in Mali, on the sidelines of the visit of Federal Councilor Ignazio Cassis.

Evangelical missionary from Basel, Béatrice Stöckli was kidnapped in January 2016 in Timbuktu. Until now, the announcement of her death was based on the testimonies of other freed hostages, in particular that of the French Sophie Pétronin. But the video confirms that the Swiss woman was indeed a victim of the Islamist terrorist organization claimed by Swiss Media.

All the information that we have in Switzerland leads us to conclude that Madame Stöckli is deceased. We have no other information which could make us believe the contrary, explained Ignazio Cassis in the video.

It is impossible to know when this video was shot. However, the Swiss authorities had known about it for several months and were able to authenticate it.

In the screenshots obtained by the RTS.com, the terrorist organization Group for the support of Islam and Muslims evokes a failed attempt"] which would have led to the death of the Swiss hostage, without anyone knowing to what kind of attempt she is referring to. The organization also accuses France of being responsible for this tragic outcome.

The death of Béatrice Stöckli was announced last October, a few days after the release of several hostages, including Sophie Pétronin. It was she who had declared that the Baloise had been killed by her captors a few weeks before.

According to the information she gave to French intelligence, the Swiss woman was taken behind a dune, then there was the sound of a gunshot and she was never seen again.