Qaeda-linked groups says holding 41, including Americans, in Algeria

Islamist militants attacked a gas production field in southern Algeria on Wednesday, kidnapping at least seven foreigners and killing a French and British national bringing the death toll to two people, the official APS news agency said, quoting a statement released by the interior minister.                               

Al Qaeda-linked militants who attacked a gas field in Algeria  have demanded an end to French military operations against Islamists in northern Mali in return for the safety of dozens of hostages, Mauritania's ANI news agency reported.
  
The statement sent to ANI by the group also said it was holding some 40 hostages. A spokesman for a group under the command of Mokhtar Belmokhtar, a veteran Saharan jihadist and smuggling kingping, had earlier said it was behind the hostage-taking.


The Islamists said that the attacks were in retaliation for Algeria allowing France to use its air space to carry out bombing raids in Mali, according to ANI and Sahara Media, the agencies who said they had spoken to the Islamists.

                 
The field, located close to the border with Libya, is operated by a joint venture including BP, Norwegian oil firm Statoil and Algerian state company Sonatrach.                              

Five Japanese nationals working for the Japanese engineering firm JCG Corp were kidnapped as well as a French national, local officials said. An Irishman was also seized, the Irish government said.                    

This as, the regional newspaper Bergens Tidende announced later that a Norwegian gas worker is among the detainees, quoting the man's wife.                   

A French national was killed in the attack, a local source said, but it was unclear if the victim was the same person who had been kidnapped.                                

The foreigners were taken from In Amenas in the morning. Algerian troops had mounted an operation to rescue the hostages and had also surrounded the workers' camp at Tiguentourine, a local source said.                    

Algeria has allowed France to use its air space during its military intervention against Al Qaeda-linked Islamist rebels in Mali, although officials have yet to make a link between Wednesday's attack and the conflict in Algeria's southern neighbor.             

ANI, which has regular direct contact with Islamists, said that fighters under the command of Mokhtar Belmokhtar were holding the foreigners seized from the gas field. 
                         
Belmokhtar for years commanded al-Qaeda fighters in the Sahara before setting up his own armed Islamist group late last year after an apparent fallout with other militant leaders.                          

BP confirmed there had been a "security incident" at the In Amenas field but could give no more details.               

Statoil, a minority shareholder in the venture, said it was notified of the incident on Wednesday morning but could not say if any of its fewer than 20 employees were affected. 
            
Statoil described the incident as serious and called it an emergency situation.                        

BP said the field was approximately 1,300 km (825 miles) from the capital, Algiers.                         

The five Japanese work for the engineering firm JGC Corporation, Jiji news agency reported, quoting company officials. JGC has a deal with Sonatrach-BP-Statoil Association for work in gas production at In Amenas.          
          
POSITIONS:

French President Francois Hollande said on Wednesday he was liaising with the Algerian government over an attack on a gas facility in Algeria by Islamist militants who said they had taken up to 41 foreigners hostage.
   
"As I am speaking to you, a hostage-taking is under way in Algeria at an energy facility, with a number of people taken hostage whose exact details we don't know, not even for the French nationals who may be involved," Hollande said in a speech to lawmakers.
   
"I am in permanent contact with the Algerian authorities who are doing, and will do, their duty. We are also in contact with the heads of state of the countries concerned."

In Tokyo, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said it was gathering information on the situation but could not comment. French Foreign Ministry officials also said they had no immediate comment and were trying to verify the reports.


REUTERS