16 – 18 January 2013, Algeria, Tigantourine Gas Plant Attack

Feb Sun, 2013


View Tigantourine Compound in a larger map

16-18 January, Algeria: at 5:45 am on the 16th, the Signed-in-Blood Battalion (SBB) terror group raided the Tigantourine gas plant compound in the Sahara desert in eastern Algeria near the town of In Aménas. SBB is a splinter group of AQ in the Islamic Maghreb & includes veterans of the ultra violent Armed Islamic Group of Algeria.

The facility is run by several energy companies, including BP, Statoil, JGC Corp, & Algeria’s state owned Sonatrach. Over 132 foreigners worked there along with 700 Algerians.

The SBB force infiltrated from war-torn Mali. It allegedly included Westerners, supposedly a Canadian, among others. The SBB raiding party reportedly secured weapons from Libya & might have had fighters from the Benghazi raid in its ranks.

The terrorists commandeered busloads of gas plant workers, seized their housing compound, & executed scores of people. The Algerian military surrounded the area, & helicopters strafed the commandeered buses, killing the SBB leader, multiple terrorists, & reportedly hostages as well. Some hostages escaped during the turmoil.

Surviving gunmen made it to the Tigantourine gas plant, strapped bombs on several hostages, & told the press they aimed to exchange their captives for Islamist jihadist prisoners being held by the U.S. & its allies. The Algerian army stormed Tigantourine, killing most of the terrorists. All hostages there were killed.

In all, 39 foreign hostages were killed, 29 terrorists were killed, & 2 were taken alive.

Muir Analytics believes the current turmoil in North Africa & in countries south will worsen in the coming weeks & months. The supposedly “democratic” Arab Spring movement has given way to chaos, & Islamists such as The Muslim Brotherhood, Al Qaeda & its franchises, & Islamist jihadist groups such as the SBB aiming to make a name for themselves are actively seeking targets throughout the region. This will remain so even as French forces engage these groups in countries such as Mali. Terrorist targets will include, but not be limited to: 1) Western establishments & people, 2) energy, mining, & like enterprise projects – especially those run by foreigners, & 3) regional government assets & personnel cooperating with foreign governments.

Further reading:

The Guardian – Timeline of the In Amenas siege

BBC – Foreigners held hostage by militants in Algeria

Statoil – Publication of the investigation report on the In Amenas terrorist attack