Al-Qaida suspect booked US flight

French authorities are searching for a suspected al-Qaida member who failed to turn up for a scheduled Air France flight on Christmas Eve, France’s justice minister confirmed today.

“I confirm that we are looking for someone, but I can’t say more,” Justice Minister Dominique Perben said.

“What’s important when someone who doesn’t take a plane is to know why he didn’t take it,” Perben added.

The comments were in response to a report by US television network ABC saying that European authorities were searching for a man travelling with a French passport.

The report cited unidentified American officials as saying the suspect had trained in Afghanistan.

Perben declined to respond to questions about whether the suspect was a French national, had a criminal record or was being sought by the French counter-terrorism agency, DST.

On orders from French prime minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin, Air France cancelled six flights between Paris and Los Angeles on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day following security talks between US and French officials.