'We're only after the Christians...' Minutes later a Briton lay dead: Terrifying moment gas plant gunmen rounded up non-Muslims and strapped explosives to their necks

A British security guard was murdered in cold blood just minutes into the siege at the Algerian gas plant, an IT worker caught up in the hostage crisis has told The Mail on Sunday.

The Algerian employee, who managed to escape, has given the most detailed account so far of how Islamist terrorists rounded up foreign workers during the four-day stand-off and placed explosives round their necks.

Following his escape, the IT worker contacted a friend who remained in the camp and witnessed yesterday’s final onslaught by Algerian troops.

Ordeal: Hostages are seen sitting against the wall of a building outside the gas plant during the terrifying crisis

 

Terror chief: Mokhtar Belmokhtar, identified by the Algerian interior ministry as the leader of a militant Islamic group

 

Speaking under condition of anonymity after the Algerian army told him not to talk, he said: ‘The terrorists arrived at 5.10am on Wednesday in three vehicles and began firing at a bus. A guard was shot and then another guard got out of a car and was instantly shot dead. I believe he was the first Briton to die.’

The IT worker recalled how the Islamists systematically targeted Western employees.

‘The terrorists went to the alarm station, switched off the alarms, and forced the deputy manager to show them where the expats were. They rounded up the expats, making them all wear explosives around their necks while standing in a circle.

‘The attackers were carrying Kalashnikovs and bombs and went throughout the complex, seeking out expats hiding, and forcing them into the circle.’

He said more than 20 British workers – whom the terrorists called ‘kuffar’, meaning non-Muslims – were rounded up.
He added: ‘Us Algerians were rounded up separately and were treated with kindness. We were told that because we were Muslim we would not be killed, and it was only the Christians they were after.

‘The terrorists allowed the Algerians to send texts and make phone calls, but to stop the expats communicating, they forced an Algerian telecommunications man to cut network connections for mobile, internet and power. But a back-up system kicked in, which allowed some Brits to send text messages.
‘One, David Murray, was sending text messages while hiding under his desk. I have been told he survived.’

An image broadcast today appears to show hostages surrendering to Islamist gunmen who overtook a gas facility

The Algerian witness said more than 20 British workers ¿ whom the terrorists called ¿kuffar¿, meaning non-Muslims ¿ were rounded up

 

The IT worker said a lot of planning had gone into the siege. ‘The attackers knew the layout of the complex extremely well. They knew the names of the people responsible, the number of cars and who had keys.’

He added: ‘Of the terrorists, one was an Egyptian, another was Libyan and one was Syrian. Most of them were Algerian but some of them had white skin and I think they were Canadian. Two were speaking fluent English. They claimed to be working for Mokhtar Belmokhtar.’ Belmokhtar is the one-eyed jihadist believed to be behind the attack.

The IT worker continued: ‘The Algerian hostages were then allowed to leave. I was allowed to go but before I did, I saw many Brits killed. One Westerner trying to give first aid was blown up by the terrorists.

‘When the army arrived, they were firing at everyone – terrorists and hostages – indiscriminately.

The Algerian army on Saturday carried out a final assault on Al Qaeda-linked gunmen holed up in a desert gas plant

An ambulance enters an hospital near the gas plant. An eyewitness said one Westerner who was trying to give first aid was blown up

‘One person in the military told me the aim was to erase the place at any cost and attack “Russian style”, with no attempt at negotiation.

‘We escaped during the army’s attack by running to a disused entry point, where some of my colleagues cut through the fence using knives.’

He had contact with a friend who was still inside the plant yesterday. The IT worker said: ‘The army had secured most of the complex, but there were still some terrorists holed up with hostages, trying to negotiate. My friend said the army were scared to take it over completely because the terrorists had laid bombs.

‘When the army stormed in, my friend heard two explosions and then there was a lot of confusion.

‘I’m still traumatised. Hopefully, the killings are now over.’

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2265206/Algeria-Crisis-Terrifying-moment-gas-plant-gunmen-rounded-non-Muslims-strapped-explosive-necks.html#ixzz2Ie8lBvwO

Dark uncertainty over more than 50 Algerian gas field hostages

Algeria said Friday morning that the hostage operation was still ongoing at the Amenas gas field and the site was not secure. There is anger in Western capitals over the failure of the hostages’ governments - British, Norwegian, Japanese, American and French – to release casualty figures of the foreigners seized Wednesday morning by North African al Qaeda (AQIM) raiders. They demanded that France end its military intervention in Mali. One local source refers to 30 deaths. Still missing are 7 Americans, 10 British, 17 Japanese and 14 Norwegians. They could be dead, injured or hiding. This is more than the total of 41 foreign nationals originally reported and adds confusion to the hostage situation. The Algerians now say Thursday night their military operation ended at the accommodation block where a number of terrorists were "neutralized" but there are still terrorists in other parts of the site and soldiers are hunting them down. BP which operated the field is withdrawing foreign staff from other energy fields in Algeria.

 

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Algeria siege: Hostage situation ongoing, dozens of captives and militants dead

The militants who seized an Algerian gas plant, taking scores of hostages, have demanded the release of terrorists, one of whom was involved in the 9/11 attacks. At least 30 hostages, including several foreigners, have died in rescue attempts.

The Al-Qaeda-linked military group that claimed responsibility for the kidnappings said it will carry out more attacks, Mauritania's ANI news agency reported.

The Mulathameen group warned people to stay away from“the installations of foreign companies as we will strike where it is least expected,”

ANI quoted the group as saying. The group reportedly pre-planned the attack on the plant for two months.

Conflicting reports have emerged regarding the rescue operation and its final death toll. Out of the 30 hostages killed, there were at least two Brits, one French national and two Japanese nationals, Reuters reported.

The hostage situation has given rise to a number of conflicting figures. Algerian news outlet APS says that nearly 650 hostages have been freed, among them 573 Algerians and over half of the 132 foreigners being held. This leaves about 60 foreign citizens still being held by the militants.

Earlier, a Mulathameen spokesperson claimed that 34 hostages and 15 kidnappers had been killed after the rescue operation began.

UK’s Prime Minister David Cameron said that the militants still posed a “threat” in one part of the gas complex, and that the operation was “ongoing.”
On Friday, the gas complex was surrounded by Algerian forces, with some hostages still being detained inside.

London said that its priority is the safety of the hostages, which is why it has withheld some information on the incident so as not to further endanger their lives.

Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide has also confirmed to BBC that the operation is ongoing, saying that the entire plant has not yet been retaken by Algerian forces. Information on the operation continues to change by the hour, Eide said.

Early Wednesday, militants commanded by Malian terrorist Mokhtar Belmokhtar attacked the In Aminas gas installation in southeastern Algeria near the Libyan border. The facility is run by BP, Norwegia’s Statoil and the Algerian company Sonatrech.

Several dozen heavily armed militants first raided two buses carrying plant workers, and then descended on the gas facility. The attackers claimed to have taken at least 41 foreign hostages from at least 10 countries.

The group said it conducted the raid in retaliation for France’s engagement in the Mali crisis. Mulathameen Commander Oumar Ould Hamaha told AP that they were “globalizing the conflict” in revenge for the attack on Mali.

The militants demanded safe passage out of the facility and the release of hundreds of Islamist prisoners in return for the release of the hostages.

An undated handout picture released by the BP petroleum company on January 16, 2013.(AFP Photo / BP Petroleum Company)

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Algeria under fire for proceeding with rescue op on their own

When Algerian forces launched the rescue operation early Thursday, they did not consult other governments involved, including the UK, France, US, and Japan, prompting sharp criticism of the move.

Prime Minister Cameron said that he had only been informed as the operation was underway: “We were very disappointed that we were not informed in advance.” A senior US official also told AFP that they “were not aware of the raid in advance.”

Foreign governments voiced anger and concern over Algeria’s actions when they attacked the gas complex with military units supported by helicopters, leaving the fate of those captured unknown.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe slammed the raid as an act that “threatened the lives of the hostages.”

Western governments sought clarification from Algeria, as they felt left out of the operation since the Algerian government kept tight control over any details, leading to varying casualty figures.

The US offered to participate in the rescue by sending an unmanned surveillance drone to the site, but it was only able to observe what was happening. Other offers of aid were also reportedly rejected by the Algerian government.

On Thursday night, there were fewer than 30 British citizens believed to be “at risk” in Algeria. That number has been “quite significantly” reduced, Prime Minister Cameron told Parliament on Friday. As many as 20 Brits may still be unaccounted for, according to media reports.

A US plane landed at In Amenas airport, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the gas plant, to evacuate Americans who were held hostage during the crisis, a local source told Reuters.

Algerian Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal told his Norwegian counterpart that the authorities “had no choice but to go in” due to the militants’ stubbornness and their alleged attempt to flee the facility with the hostages.

In Aminas is located in one of the most remote regions in the world, some 18 hours by car from the capital Algiers, in the middle of the Sahara desert.

“An important number of hostages were freed and an important number of terrorists eliminated and we regret the few dead and wounded,” Algerian Communication Minister Mohand Said Oubelaid told reporters.

As many as 600 Algerians, along with four foreign hostages – two Scots, a Kenyan and a French national – managed to flee during Thursday’s raid, state news agency APS reported.

Algerian helicopters were firing “at anything that moved,” a British security source told CBS. At least one of the cars in the Algerian raid convoy was reportedly blown up by a suicide bomb.

A local man who managed to escape told Reuters that the military had inside knowledge of the plant.

http://rt.com/news/algeria-hostage-rescue-operation-militants-224/

Algeria’s hostage rescue operation is over with many dead

Algeria’s military operation at the remote gas field of Ein Amenas is over. Few of the 41 foreign hostages - Norwegian, British, Japanese, American, French – are thought to have survived although no definite numbers have been released. They were kidnapped Wednesday dawn by North African al Qaeda wing (AQIM) raiders who threatened to blow up the site with the hostages unless France ended its intervention in Mali. This first al Qaeda attack on an African energy site is feared the portent of terrorist strikes on oil and gas sites across Africa and possibly Arabia. Oil prices jumped 1.3 percent Thursday night.

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