Niger security forces have arrested three people suspected of a botched desert hostage-taking that left four Saudi Arabian travellers dead.

The suspects, captured by soldiers near the Mali border shortly after the dawn attack on the group on Monday, have been transferred to the capital Niamey for questioning, the sources said on condition of anonymity.

One source said the suspects appeared to be foreigners. "I can say that the suspects were not Nigerien," he said.

The attack, near the village of Djambala in the remote Tillabery region, comes in a restive zone where Tuareg rebels and al Qaeda cells are active.

Three Saudis were shot dead during the attack and three others in the group - made up of six Saudis and two Malians - were seriously wounded and transferred to hospital in Niamey. One of the wounded Saudis later died of his wounds.

Saudi Arabia sent a plane to Niger to repatriate its two wounded citizens and the bodies of the four dead.

source: Reuters