Prime Minister Sellal said 37 foreigners from eight countries died in the siege at In Amenas; five hostages are missing. The al Qaeda-linked attackers were from Egypt, Canada, Mali, Niger, Mauritania, and Tunisia. A Canadian named Chedad coordinated the attack; another Canadian participated, as did a former driver at the gas facility. A French jihadist may also have participated. Algerian forces killed 29 militants and captured three, and “a few” may have escaped. Three American hostages were killed. The US had rejected an offer to swap hostages for two terrorists held in US prisons, “Blind Sheikh” Omar Abdel Rahman and “Lady al Qaeda” Aafia Siddiqui.
