Two dead, six injured in Algeria attack in which Irish man was taken hostage

An Irish man who was kidnapped along with a group of colleagues in Algeria is a 36-year-old Irish passport holder who is a resident of Northern Ireland.

He was among a group of eight oil workers taken hostage this morning by a gang claiming to be al-Qaida. It is understood that one British worker was killed during the attack.

The country’s state news agency said the Briton was the second person to die after the site was raided by insurgents believed to have come from neighbouring Mali.

Six other workers have been wounded.

Militants have claimed the attack is in revenge for Algeria’s support of France’s intervention against rebels in Mali.

The natural gas complex, the third largest in the country, is a joint venture of BP, Norway’s Statoil and the Algerian Sonatrach company located 800 miles south of the capital near the Libyan border.

The Algerian Interior Ministry said heavily armed gunman in three vehicles attacked the complex early today.

It is understood the Irish passport holder had been working with a Swedish oil and gas firm in Algeria.

The man, whose identity has not been revealed, was kidnapped along with his co-workers and taken to a compound by a group claiming to be al-Qaida.

Foreign Affairs Minister and Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore has demanded the man's immediate release.

His Department is liasing with the Irish man's family and said it was also working closely with its international partners.