Canadian Terrorist Coordinated Algerian Hostage Attack
The radicalization of Islam continues to reach beyond the Mid East, as reports reveal two Canadians among Islamic terror group in Algeria
First Publish: 1/21/2013, 5:53 PM
Hostages with their hands in the air
Reuters
Algerian Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal claimed Monday that a Canadian coordinated the attack, saying at a news conference, "A Canadian was among the militants. He was coordinating the attack."
According to Algerian security sources, documents found on the bodies of two terrorists identified them as Canadians.
The Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Chrystiane Roy told CBC News
on Monday that the government is, "pursuing all appropriate channels to
seek further information and are in close contact with Algerian
authorities."
"Canada condemns in the strongest possible terms this
deplorable and cowardly attack and all terrorist groups which seek to
create and perpetuate insecurity in the Sahel countries of West Africa,"
she added
Documents recently declassified by the Canadian Security
Intelligence Service (CSIS) revealed that Canada was among the top
countries - which included the U.S., Germany, U.K., Spain and Israel -
defined as preferred targets for terrorist activities by the al-Qaeda
terror organization.
The documents also noted that young Canadians visiting
Somalia, Yemen, Afghanistan and Pakistan may be in danger of
radicalization, and in the last decade dozens of Canadians have enlisted
in the ranks of Islamic terror groups in these countries, with many
receiving military training to carry out attacks in their home country.
According to Canadian intelligence, "The radicalization of
Sunni Islam which leads to increasing acts of violence, constitutes a
significant threat to Canada and its allies."
Information on the identity of both the victims and terrorists is slowly surfacing as security
forces continue to sort through the wreckage left behind from the
bloody confrontation which ended in an all out assault by Algerian
forces Saturday night.
According to Algerian authorities, the hostage situation
began Wednesday when 32 men from six countries, armed with heavy machine
guns, missiles and other weaponry, and under the command
of an Islamist terror group, singled out hundreds of foreign workers at
the gas plant, killing some and attaching explosives to others.
On Saturday, Algerian forces stormed the plant, bringing
the four-day hostage situation to a violent end. In the aftermath,
security
forces searched the area for explosives and booby traps, and instead
discovered a grizzly scene as dozens more bodies were found.
Many of the bodies were badly disfigured, making it hard for officials to identify the dead.
One American from Texas has been confirmed dead, but terrorists claimed they were holding seven Americans hostage.
Labels: Africa, Canada, Conflict, Controversy, Defence Security, Islamism
posted by Pieface @ Monday, January 21, 2013
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