Kidnappers demand release of Islamists
2013-01-16 22:12
Algiers - The armed group that took Western hostages in a deadly dawn attack in southern Algeria on Wednesday is demanding the release of 100 Islamists held in the country, a worker at the site told AFP.
"The kidnappers are demanding the release of 100 terrorists being held in Algeria, in exchange for their hostages," said the worker at the gas complex where 41 Westerners were seized, according to the militants, including seven Americans.
"[They] have demanded that these [detained] Islamists be taken to northern Mali," added the source, speaking by telephone.
Earlier, Algeria's Interior Minister Dahou Ould Kablia said that Algiers would not negotiate with the "terrorists," following the attack near the In Amenas gas field that also left two dead, including a Briton.
