Belfast Hostage Ready To Come Home

A Belfast man who had been kidnapped by militants in Algeria is making arrangements to return home.

36-year-old Stephen McFaul had been held at a BP gas facility along with other foreign nationals.

It has emerged Mr McFaul was able to escape after the jeep in which he was travelling crashed.

So far one Briton and an Algerian have been killed in the ongoing situation, with the details surrounding the number and nationalities of the rest of the hostages unclear.

David Cameron has said the UK should prepare itself for bad news.

Algerian troops surrounded the facility during the week and launched a military operation.

It has been reported that Algerian forces may have used helicopter gunships to attack the compound, even as hostages were being moved around the site.

It is thought the kidnappers are Algerian and operating under orders from Mokhtar Belmokhtar, a former senior commander of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).

Militants have now confirmed, amid speculation in the media, that the hostages are being held in retaliation for French military intervention in neighbouring Mali.

French troops have been stationed in Mali since last week, following a militant Islamist uprising.

(IT)