In Amenas hostage crisis

In Amenas hostage crisis
Location	West of In Amenas, Algeria
Coordinates	27°53′49″N 9°07′37″E / 27.897°N 9.127°E / 27.897; 9.127Coordinates: 27°53′49″N 9°07′37″E / 27.897°N 9.127°E / 27.897; 9.127
Date	16 January 2013 (2013-01-16)–19 January 2013 (2013-01-19) (CET – UTC +1)
Target	International natural gas plant workers
Attack type	Ambush, siege, hostage crisis
Weapons	Automatic weapons Mortars Anti-aircraft missiles Explosives
Deaths	At least 67 (at least 37 foreign hostages, an Algerian security guard and 29 militants)
Non-fatal injuries	Currently unknown
Perpetrators	Al-Mourabitoun jihadists
Motive	Opposition against Operation Serval

The In Amenas hostage crisis began on 16 January 2013, when al-Qaeda-linked terrorists affiliated with a brigade led by Mokhtar Belmokhtar took expat hostages at the Tigantourine gas facility near In Amenas, Algeria. One of Belmokhtar's senior lieutenants, Abdul al Nigeri, led the attack and was among the terrorists killed. After four days, the Algerian special forces raided the site, in an effort to free the hostages.

At least 39 foreign hostages were killed along with an Algerian security guard, as were 29 militants. A total of 685 Algerian workers and 107 foreigners were freed. Three militants were captured.

It was one of many attacks in the Maghreb carried out by Islamist groups since 2002.

The best information about the attack comes from the transcript of the eye witness evidence given to HM Coroner in London. Tigantourine gas facility is located about 40 kilometres (25 mi) south-west of In Amenas, close to the Libyan border and about 1,300 kilometres (810 mi) south-east of Algeria's capital city, Algiers. The Algerian state oil company Sonatrach operates the gas field jointly with the British firm BP and the Norwegian firm Statoil. It supplies 10% of Algeria's natural gas production.

The crisis began in the early morning of 16 January 2013. Around 32 Islamist terrorists in 4 to 5 vehicles, who had entered Algeria from Libya and northern Mali, attacked a bus transporting employees from a natural gas plant near the town of In Amenas in far eastern Algeria, about 60 kilometres (37 mi) west of the border with Libya, killing a number of the employees. At 5:40 AM, militant gunmen in Toyota Land Cruisers stormed the Base de Vie (accommodation block). The terrorists also attacked the Central Processing facility itself. The terrorists rigged the plant with explosives, and threatened a "tragic end" should attempts be made to free the captives.