LAGOS, Nigeria — Nigeria's Islamic extremist leader is threatening to sell the more than 300 teenage schoolgirls abducted from a school in the remote northeast three weeks ago, in a new videotape received Monday.
Abubakar Shekau for the first time also claimed responsibility for the April 15 mass abduction, in a video reviewed by The Associated Press.
He threatens to attack more schools and abduct more girls
"I abducted your girls," said the leader of Boko Haram, which means "Western education is sinful."
He described the girls as "slaves" and said "By Allah, I will sell them in the marketplace." The hour-long video starts with fighters lofting automatic rifles and shooting in the air as they chant "Allahu akbar!" or "God is great."
It was unclear if the video was made before or after reports emerged last week that some of the girls have been forced to marry their abductors, who paid a nominal bride price of $12, and that others have been carried into neighboring Cameroon and Chad. Those reports could not be verified.
Read tomorrow's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.