VIENNA, Jan 17, 2013 (AFP)
VIENNA, Jan 17, 2013 (AFP)
A 36-year-old Austrian man is among 41 hostages being held by Islamic militants in Algeria, the Austrian foreign ministry said Thursday.
“We have been told by a company operating there that an Austrian employee belongs to this group” of hostages, foreign ministry spokesman Martin Weiss told AFP.
“We have no reason to doubt this. We are in close contact with the Algerian authorities and with other governments,” he said.
The 41 were taken hostage at a gas field in eastern Algeria on Wednesday in what the militants said was a reprisal for Algerian cooperation in French military operations in Mali.
One Briton and an Algerian were killed when the Islamists attacked, Algerian authorities said. Three Westerners and three Algerians were also wounded.
