Algeria: 2 Canadians among gas plant hostage-takers, Mounties confirm
A picture shows a road sign indicating Tiguentourine near In Amenas on a road leading to a gas complex where Islamist gunmen had taken hostages in the desert in Algeria’s deep south on January 19, 2013. Islamist gunmen killed seven foreign hostages in Algeria before being gunned down by special forces in a final assault on a remote desert gas complex, state television said, though five members have reportedly been found alive.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police have confirmed that two Canadians are among the bodies of terrorists who attacked the In Amenas natural gas plant in Algeria in January, the Wall Street Journal reported.
"This evening, the RCMP is confirming a second Canadian has been identified from human remains of alleged terrorists in the attack at the gas plant," an RCMP spokesman said in a statement on Saturday, according to the Wall Street Journal. "Our investigation into this matter continues and no further information will be given at this time."
In the attack, 32 terrorists belonging to Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb seized hostages and held them at the In Amenas facility in the Sahara Desert.
Algerian soldiers retook the gas plant in January. Some 29 terrorists and 37 foreign hostages were found dead after the ordeal.
More from GlobalPost: Algeria: 37 foreign hostages dead, Algerian PM says
Soon after the raid, Algerian Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal said a Canadian national had helped lead the attack, according to CNN.
“It was bad enough to have one Canadian involved in this…now a second. It’s really not good for our reputation around the world and not what we want to see,” Anthony Seaboyer, a security policy expert and professor at the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ont., told CTV News.
While police have not released the names of the suspected Canadian terrorists, CTV News reported that one suspect had a criminal record and lived in Toronto.
The article you just read is free because dedicated readers and listeners like you chose to support our nonprofit newsroom. Our team works tirelessly to ensure you hear the latest in international, human-centered reporting every weekday. But our work would not be possible without you. We need your help.
Make a gift today to help us reach our $25,000 goal and keep The World going strong. Every gift will get us one step closer.