An Italian Jesuit priest who hoped to negotiate with jihadists in Syria has "apparently been kidnapped by an Islamist group" which is "a local version of Al-Qaeda," the foreign ministry in Rome said Tuesday.
"You will all understand the difficulties. We have not given up, we are still hopeful" of recovering activist Paolo Dall'Oglio, Italy's Foreign Minister Emma Bonino told Unomattina television program.

Dall'Oglio had reportedly gone to meet with commanders of the jihadist Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) to try to negotiate peace between Kurds and jihadists and to plead for the release of activists kidnapped by the group.
ISIS is behind the kidnapping of several activists in Raqqa.

On Monday, the Jesuits of the Middle East released a statement to Fides Agency expressing their "deep worry" about the fate of Jesuit priests in Syria.