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THE FATE OF foreign hostages seized at a gas plant in the Algerian desert hung in the balance, as their Islamist captors demanded a prisoner swap and an end to French military action in Mali.
The Al-Qaeda-linked gunmen, cited by Mauritania’s ANI news agency, said they still held seven foreigners at the site deep in the Sahara near the border with Libya.
An Algerian security official put their number at 10, but more workers remain unaccounted for, including at least 10 Japanese and eight Norwegians.
“This is an extremely difficult and dangerous situation,” US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said at a joint Washington news conference with Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida as one American hostage was confirmed dead.
“The United States extends our condolences to all the families who have lost loved ones in this brutal assault and we remain deeply concerned about those who remain in danger. Utmost care must be taken to preserve innocent life.”
State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland identified the dead American as Frederick Buttaccio amid reports that a total of five Americans were initially taken hostage on Wednesday.
The UN Security Council “condemned in the strongest terms the terrorist attack in In Amenas, Algeria,” in a statement agreed by the 15-member panel.
It expressed “deep sympathy and sincere condolences to the victims of these heinous acts,” and “underlined the need to bring perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism to justice.”
International criticism of Algeria’s haste in launching military assault on Thursday to rescue hostages has mounted, after an Algerian security official said 12 hostages and 18 kidnappers were killed in the special forces operation.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said a Frenchman had been killed, and a US official said an American military aircraft had begun to help evacuate survivors, but gave no estimate of the number of US hostages.
Troops were trying to reach a “peaceful” end to the hostage crisis, before “neutralising the terrorist group that is holed up in the plant and freeing a group of hostages still being held there,” an Algerian security official said.
The gunmen said they were still holding three Belgians, two Americans, one Japanese and a Briton, although Belgium said there was no indication that any of its nationals were being held.
ANI said Belmokhtar, a veteran Algerian extremist with Al-Qaeda ties who has claimed responsibility for the attack, proposed exchanging the remaining two US hostages for the Egyptian blind sheikh Omar Abdul Rahman and Pakistani Aafia Siddiqui, jailed in the United States on charges of terrorist links.
“The United States does not negotiate with terrorists,” Nuland said when asked about the proposal.
The Algerian national news agency APS quoted a government official as saying the kidnappers, who claimed to have come from Niger, were armed with machineguns, assault rifles, rocket launchers and missiles.
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We’ve just exited a level 5 lockdown and people are being told by the government to…. “stay away from crowded shops”…. obviously shops will be thronged with people now after being cooped up for a month not being able to buy a shirt or a dress or god forbid….a tie…also deemed non essential when I went looking for one in Tesco. That statement is what my late grandfather would call….complete bolloxology.
@Billy Big Baws: And the first pop up I see on my device as I wake is from RTE about QUEUES forming outside shops this morning , and all this before 7 am.
Maybe I’m wrong but I think putting a senior civil servant out in front of the media and telling us how to behave is bizarre ,what qualifies her to pontificate to the Irish people, has she more qualifications than George Lee by any chance?
Christ..It will.be like the last helicopter out of Saigon when the shops open .
@Donal Desmond: Miss Saigon live from Mary Street !
I love how they chose a photo of Penneys for this article. You can guarantee they will have a queue from Mary St to the Spire tomorrow…
@Dobby Dooo Dooo: i am in the queue already
@Dobby Dooo Dooo: already a queue before 7 am .
@Terry Cahill: People going in for “essentials” and coming out with bags full of cr@p they don’t need…
How do people stay away from crowded shops, if they are already in a crowded shop :-/
@Kevin O’Brien: and if we all shopped off-peak…
Me alarm clock set, mask ready to go, hand sanitizer in me pocket, not taking the bus going to walk it. Penny’s here i come. NOT.
@Paul Gorry: as a penneys employee I think your in the minority….unfortunately. they should of sent us for zookeeper training during the lockdown.
@deisecelt: “should of” ?
Reading down through the articles here on the Journal & all I’m seeing is the word “avoid”. Avoid public transport, avoid crowded shops, avoid putting on special offers. Avoid, avoid, avoid.
@Kevin O’Brien: in other words avoid picking up the contagious virus and passing it on to others.
The shops are now open to help the economy back on it’s feet and keep people in jobs.
Also don’t go to the shops.
Is this the same headline i read last March, without the Christmas bit?
@Paul Gorry: Reduce reuse recycle….
Consume! Consume! Consume! Retail shopping slaves to the system of controlling your life. Stress over getting stuff and overstretch those cards…… Sad really. I hope everyone eventually wakes up and stops the unnecessary stresses around this time of year. Remember all those toys that will be gathering dust in a month or 2 and all that food that goes to waste cost hours of your life to pay for. Right now off to ques outside Smyths…… Lol
People are already queueing so best of luck with that advice.
@Ed: Hope they’re doing what most people are doing and queuing 2 m apart, outdoors.
but the retailers say the complete opposite, pack in and everyone get out and shop till ye drop, who should we listen to. :-)
Stay away from crowded shops????its christmas time
Ya, but you see “Christmas” you cannot avoid these things. The air must be thin up there.
I will wait a few days and then stroll the shops at my own leisure. I got 95pct of my Christmas shopping done online and feel good about not being frantic this month. I did miss the in-person Black Friday sales this year, to be honest.
have your say