Mali militants 'kidnap eight' at BP oil facility in Algeria

Islamist militants were said to have attacked a BP facility in the south of Algeria. Photograph: Dave Thompson/PA

Islamist militants attacked a gas production field in southern Algeria on Wednesday, kidnapping at least seven foreigners and killing a French national, local and company officials said.

An al-Qaida-linked group operating in the Sahara said it had carried out the raid on the In Amenas facility, Mauritania's ANI news agency reported.

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

Five Japanese nationals working for the Japanese engineering firm JCG Corp and a French national were kidnapped, local officials said. The Irish government said an Irishman had also been seized.

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 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 Islamist rebels in Mali with al-Qaida links, but officials have yet to make a link between the kidnapping on Wednesday and the conflict in neighbouring Mali.

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 commanded al-Qaida fighters in the Sahara for years 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 had been 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 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.

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.

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jan/16/mali-militants-kidnap-bp-algeria

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