2 Malaysians taken hostage in Algeria

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KUALA LUMPUR: Two Malaysians, one believed to be from Miri in Sarawak, working at the Amenas facility in southern Algeria were held hostage at the gas facility complex on Wednesday.

In a statement here yesterday, the Malaysian foreign minister said the ministry was informed that the Malaysians were held hostage, together with other nationalities.

Datuk Seri Anifah Aman said Malaysia was deeply concerned over the hostage- taking incident and was in contact with family members of the Malaysian hostages, as well as the branch office of the company, based in Singapore.

He said the Malaysian Embassy in Algeria had sought the assistance of the Algerian foreign ministry to determine whether there were other Malaysians involved in the incident.

The foreign minister is also in contact with his counterpart in Algeria, Mourad Medelci, to ensure the safety and release of the Malaysians.

It was reported that the hostage-takers were holding foreign hostages at the gas field, in reprisal over Algeria’s cooperation with the French military intervention in Mali. — Bernama