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hostage takers
Algerian Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal has said the 32 militants who took dozens of people hostage at In Amenas gas plant had “come from northern Mali”.
As many as 48 hostages – including foreigners – are thought to have died at the site near the town of In Amenas.
About 20 captives remain unaccounted for after the four-day siege, which ended on Sunday.
The militants said they took hostages in retaliation for French intervention against Islamists in Mali.
Algerian Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal has said the 32 militants who took dozens of people hostage at In Amenas gas plant had come from northern Mali
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At least 48 hostages are now thought to have died in a four-day siege at In Amenas gas facility in Algeria, as reports say that 25 bodies found at the complex on Sunday were all those of captives.
It had initially been unclear whether the bodies found were those of hostage-takers or staff at the facility.
A search is continuing at the In Amenas gas plant, where as many as 20 hostages remain unaccounted for.
Five suspected Islamist attackers were reportedly arrested on Sunday.
The Algerian authorities had said on Saturday that all 32 hostage-takers had been killed. The suspected organizer of the attack, Mokhtar Belmokhtar, has said in a statement that 40 militants took part.
The siege was ended in a raid by troops on Saturday. Officials say a definitive death toll will be released later.
Officials said the army launched its assault after Islamist militants began killing foreign hostages.
UK Prime Minister David Cameron and US President Barack Obama have blamed “terrorists” for the hostages’ deaths.
And on Sunday French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian described the hostage-taking as an “act of war”.
“What strikes me the most is that we’re saying <<hostage-taking>> but when there are so many people concerned, I think this is an act of war,” he told French TV.
At least 48 hostages are now thought to have died in a four-day siege at In Amenas gas facility in Algeria
As Western leaders condemned the kidnappings, Algerian Energy Minister Youcef Yousfi said Algeria would boost security at its energy installations without outside help.
“It is out of the question to allow foreign security forces to handle the security of our oil facilities,” he said, quoted by Algeria’s APS news agency.
During a visit to the affected plant, Youcef Yousfi said it would resume production within two days.
The private TV channel Ennahar said security forces had discovered the bodies of 25 hostages as they searched the complex for booby-traps and mines.
The militants had threatened to blow up the site and kill their hostages, officials said.
Mokhtar Belmokhtar, who is not thought to have been among the actual attackers, said his group had carried out the attack. He was speaking in a video message carried by the Mauritanian website Sahara Media.
The website said the video had been recorded on January 17 while the siege was still going on but not posted on the website.
It shows Mokhtar Belmokhtar, who has convictions in absentia for murder, kidnapping and terrorism, saying he was prepared to negotiate with Western and Algerian leaders if operations against Islamists in Mali were stopped.
In other developments:
- Six Filipinos were killed and four are missing, the government in Manila confirmed
- Three Britons were confirmed dead, and a further three are missing, feared dead. UK officials were “working hard” to locate the missing, said Foreign Secretary William Hague
- A Colombian citizen resident in the UK, Carlos Estrada, is thought to be among the dead, the Colombian president has said
- Japanese officials said they had no confirmation of the fate of 10 nationals who remained unaccounted for, despite reports that nine had died
- Romania’s foreign ministry said one of its citizens had died in hospital after sustaining severe injuries during the siege. Another Romanian has already been reported killed and as many as three others have been freed
- Two Malaysians are unaccounted for, as are five Norwegians
State news agency APS said 685 Algerian workers and 107 out of 132 foreigners working at the plant had been freed, citing interior ministry figures.
The nationalities of some of the hostages killed are still not known.
The crisis began on Wednesday when militants attacked two buses carrying foreign workers to the remote site in south-eastern Algeria. A Briton and an Algerian reportedly died in the incident.
The militants then took Algerians and expatriates hostage at the complex, which was quickly surrounded by the Algerian army.
A statement from the kidnappers said the assault on the gas plant was launched in retaliation for French intervention against Islamist groups in neighboring Mali.
However, France only decided last week to intervene militarily in Mali. Analysts say the assault on the gas facility was well-planned and would have required advance research, as well as possibly inside help.
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Five suspected members of the Islamist group which held foreign and local workers hostage at In Amenas gas plant in Algeria have been arrested, reports say.
The reports came a day after the Algerian authorities said all 32 hostage-takers had been killed at the In Amenas gas installation.
At least 25 bodies were found at the complex on Sunday, reports say.
It is unclear whether they were captors or captives. Officials say a definitive death toll will be released later.
On Saturday officials said least 23 staff at the facility had died during the four-day siege, with some Western workers still unaccounted for.
The siege was ended in a raid by troops on Saturday.
Officials said the army launched its assault after Islamist militants began killing foreign hostages.
UK Prime Minister David Cameron and US President Barack Obama have blamed “terrorists” for the hostages’ deaths.
Five suspected members of the Islamist group which held foreign and local workers hostage at In Amenas gas plant in Algeria have been arrested
And on Sunday French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian described the hostage-taking as an “act of war”.
“What strikes me the most is that we’re saying <<hostage-taking>> but when there are so many people concerned, I think this is an act of war,” he told French TV.
“Five terrorists were found still alive this morning,” said the private Ennahar TV channel, quoted by AFP news agency.
The agency said residents of the nearby town of In Amenas were staying indoors, amid rumors that the army operation to end the siege was not over.
Algerian Communications Minister Mohammed Said said earlier that the militants were from six different countries, “nationals of Arab and African countries, and of non-African countries”.
Mohammed Said added that a final death toll would be released in the coming hours.
Mauritanian website Sahara Media says Mokhtar Belmokhtar, the suspected organizer of the siege, has claimed responsibility for it in a video message.
The website said the video – recorded on January 17 while the siege was still going on but not posted on the website – showed the militant leader saying he was prepared to negotiate with Western and Algerian leaders if operations against Islamists in Mali were stopped.
Three Britons are confirmed dead, and a further three are missing, feared dead.
UK officials were “working hard” to locate the missing, said Foreign Secretary William Hague.
“Everything seems to indicate” that a Colombian citizen resident in the UK is among the dead, the Colombian president has said.
But he added that information about Carlos Estrada, who worked for BP, was “not 100%”.
Japanese officials said they had no confirmation of the fate of 10 nationals who remained unaccounted for, despite reports that nine had died.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Yoshihide Suga said a government aircraft would be sent to bring home seven others who had survived.
Two Malaysians are unaccounted for, as are five Norwegians.
State news agency APS said 685 Algerian workers and 107 out of 132 foreigners working at the plant had been freed, citing interior ministry figures.
The nationalities of some of the hostages killed are still not known.
The crisis began on Wednesday when militants attacked two buses carrying foreign workers to the remote site in south-eastern Algeria. A Briton and an Algerian reportedly died in the incident.
The militants then took Algerians and expatriates hostage at the complex, which was quickly surrounded by the Algerian army.
A statement from the kidnappers said the assault on the gas plant was launched in retaliation for French intervention against Islamist groups in neighboring Mali.
However, France only decided last week to intervene militarily in Mali. Analysts say the assault on the gas facility was well-planned and would have required advance research, as well as possibly inside help.
The leader of the hostage-takers was a veteran fighter from Niger, named as Abdul Rahman al-Nigeri by the Mauritanian news agency ANI, which had been in contact with the militants.
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Algerian military operation has been ended at In Amenas gas facility in the Sahara desert killing 11 Islamist militants after they killed 7 hostages, state news agency APS has said.
The hostages were summarily killed as the Algerian troops tried to free them, it said.
Foreign workers were among the hostages, but the nationalities of the dead are not known.
The militants had been involved in a stand-off since Thursday after trying to occupy the remote site.
APS has previously said 12 Algerian and foreign workers have been killed since rescue efforts began.
On Friday, 573 Algerians and about 100 of 132 foreigners working at the plant were freed, Algerian officials said.
About 30 foreigners remain unaccounted for.
The militants themselves said before the raid that they had been holding 7 hostages.
Shortly before reports of the final assault emerged, the leader of the hostage-takers, Abdul Rahman al-Nigeri, said the government had to choose between negotiating with the kidnappers and leaving the hostages to die.
He said the area had been booby-trapped and swore to blow up the complex if the Algerian army used force.
Algerian military operation has been ended at In Amenas gas facility in the Sahara desert killing 11 Islamist militants after they killed 7 hostages
Algerian national oil and gas company Sonatrach said the army was now clearing mines planted by the militants.
The crisis at the remote In Amenas desert gas facility began on Wednesday when militants attacked two buses carrying foreign workers. A Briton and an Algerian reportedly died in the incident.
The militants then took Algerians and expatriates hostage at the complex. The leader of the hostage-takers is said to be a veteran fighter from Niger, named as Abdul Rahman al-Nigeri by the Mauritanian news agency ANI, which has been in contact with the militants.
The Algerian armed forces attacked on Thursday as militants tried to move some of their captives from the facility.
APS reported before Saturday’s raid that a group of militants remained at the site, holed up in a workshop with the remaining hostages and armed with rocket-launchers and machine guns.
The Algerian newspaper El Watan quoted officials as saying that the militants tried to sabotage the gas installation on Friday evening by starting a fire, but that it was quickly extinguished.
“The terrorists were prepared to commit a collective suicide; the army’s intervention led to their neutralization. Unfortunately, the hostages were executed,” the newspaper added.
Information from the siege has been hard to come by. No foreign reporters are thought to have been given access to the In Amenas plant.
The In Amenas gas field is situated at Tigantourine, about 40 km (25 miles) south-west of the town of In Amenas and 1,300 km (800 miles) south-east of Algiers.
The plant is jointly run by BP, Norway’s Statoil and Algeria’s state-owned oil company.
A statement from the kidnappers said the assault on the gas plant was launched in retaliation for French intervention against Islamist groups in neighboring Mali.
- Bus attack: 05:00 a.m. local time January 16: Heavily armed gunmen attack two buses carrying gas field workers towards In Amenas airfield. A Briton and an Algerian die in the fighting.
- Hostages taken: The militants drive to the installation at Tigantourine and take Algerian and foreign workers hostage in the living area and the main gas facility at the complex.
- Army surround complex: Security forces and the Algerian army surround the hostage-takers. Western leaders urge Algeria to consult them before taking action.
- Army attacks: 12:00 p.m. January 17: Algerian forces attack as militants try to move some of their captives from the facility. Reports say some hostages escape, but others are killed.
- Final assault: The Algerians ended the raid on January 19, killing the last 11 captors after they had killed 7 hostages, state media reported.
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