Algerians gather outside an In Amenas hospital after the crisis Algiers – Hocine Bousalah Mokhtar Belmokhtar, the mastermind of the In Amenas hostage crisis in Algeria, received help from militant groups inside Libya, according to anonymous sources. The Algerian militant, leader of the Signatories in Blood Brigade, enjoyed “logistical support” from Libyan groups in the run-up to the attack on the In Amenas gas facility in the Sahara Desert. Planning before the crisis was also supported by armed rebels who resisted former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, in response to Belmokhtar’s assistance during the country’s uprising.
"Libyan Islamists were responsible for conducting communications between the hostage-takers and the media,” the source told Arabstoday. “So the international media managed to obtain the phone numbers of the hostage-takers.”
The source denied that Libyan militants were among the kidnappers themselves.
Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan has strenuously denied the involvement of Libyan parties in the attack, claiming his country is “stable.”
Canada’s Foreign Minister, John Baird, also confirmed on Wednesday that his country would be launching an investigation into the involvement of two Canadian nationals in the In Amenas attack.
“The ambiguity of the case compels us to secrecy,” he said, “until we find out the truth.”
Two Canadians were allegedly among the Islamist kidnappers who carried out the siege.
A Foreign Ministry official said: "Our embassy in Algeria and our team in Ottawa are working to verify this information and get the names of those Canadians. We cannot reveal anything officially now."
The remarks came after Algeria’s Prime Minister, Abdelmalek Sellal, revealed that hostages were taken at the gas facility with the help of a Canadian national known as “Shaddad.” His body was among the other 29 killed militants.
Algerian security forces confirmed on Monday that the bodies of two Canadians were found inside the facility, following an international hostage crisis that killed 37 foreign nationals, from 8 different countries, and one Algerian citizen.
Malaysia meanwhile confirmed on Wednesday that one of its nationals was killed in the hostage crisis in Algeria last week, with another citizen not yet accounted for.