An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir Dec 2014/Jan 2015 www.dfmagazine.ie 20 | by PAUL O'BRIEN A t 05.50hrs on Wednesday 16th January 2013, work- ers at the tigantourine gas plant near the town of In-Amenas in Algeria were awoken to the sound of a fire alarm followed by explosions and automatic gunfire. this was the beginning of four days of terror as al Qaeda- linked insurgents seized control of the complex. The Tigantourine facility, which is located 40kms south- west of In Amenas, close to the Libyan border, about 1,300kms south-east of the country's capital, Algiers, pro- vides 10% of Algeria's natural gas production. Sonatrach, a government-owned company, operates the gas field, along with Britain's BP and Norwegian firm, Statoil. Entering Algeria from Libya and northern Mali, around 40 insurgents travelled in Toyota Land Cruisers across the desert. On their way to the gas plant they intercepted two buses transporting employees from the plant to the airport. The insurgents opened fire, killing a number of employees, before continuing on to their target. As the gunmen crashed through the gates, an unarmed security guard activated the plant alarm, warning that a terrorist attack was in progress, before he was shot and killed. At the time many of the plant's 700 Algerian and more than 130 foreign workers were preparing for the start of their shift, some eating breakfast, others making their way to their workstations. The insurgents had detailed plans of the 15-hectare site and they immediately split up in an attempt to locate for- eign workers, while showing little interest in the domestic workforce. Many of the foreigners attempted to flee, but were caught or shot dead by the insurgents. Others tried des- perately to hide in the vast complex, securing themselves under tables and behind presses in offices, canteens and even in ventilation shafts. Systematically, the gunmen began to move through the living quarters, searching for foreign workers. Volleys of Kalashnikov fire and explosions echoed through the build- ings as the insurgents searched the living quarters, drag- ging workers from under beds and from behind cupboards, beating those that refused to move and shooting those who attempted to escape. Those captured were taken to an open area where their hands were secured with cable ties and had Semtex explo- sives placed around their necks and waists. Some foreign- ers were helped in their efforts to hide by several of their Algerian colleagues. By noon the next day, members of the Algerian security 20 | in the

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