Tánaiste calls for immediate release of kidnapped Irish citizen
Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore has today called for the immediate release of an Irish citizen who is reported to have been among a group of oil workers kidnapped in Algeria this morning.
The Department of Foreign Affairs is providing consular assistance to the family.
Minister Gilmore said: "The Government stands ready to use all the resources available to us to ensure that our citizen is released as soon as possible."
A security official said the attack was at 2am and the militants came from Mali. The Algerian army has since caught up with them and surrounded militants and their eight hostages.
He said negotiations between the army and militants were continuing.
BP confirmed there had been a “security incident this morning” at their In Amenas gas field in east central Algeria, some 60 miles from the Libyan border.
BP, together with Norwegian company Statoil and the Algerian state oil company, Sonatrach, operate the gas field. A Japanese company, JGC, provides services for the facility as well.
Statoil also confirmed an attack had taken place, adding that it has 20 employees in the facility.
BP confirmed there had been a “security incident this morning” at the Ain Amenas field.
Al-Qaida’s North Africa branch has long been active in northern Algeria and occasionally in the desert south, but it has never before attacked the country’s many oil and gas facilities.
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