NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania — Funeral services were held June 30 for a U.S. teacher in Mauritania who was shot dead by Islamic extremists for spreading Christianity.
Christopher Leggett, 39, of Cleveland, Tenn., was killed June 23 in front of the language and computer school he operated in Nouakchott, the capital city.
Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, North African unit of the al-Qaida terrorist network, claimed responsibility for the murder on an Internet site, accusing Leggett of “missionary activities.” A North African al-Qaida spokesman aired a statement on an Arab TV station saying the group killed Leggett because he was allegedly trying to convert Muslims to Christianity.
“In a spirit of love, we express our forgiveness for those who took away the life of our remarkable son,” his family said in a statement distributed in English, French and Arabic. It also asked that the murderers be caught and prosecuted.
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