reinforcing security at oil and gas faciliti since militants attacked one earlier this month in eastern algeria. at least 37 foreign nationals were killed. algeria's communications minister has defended the decision to storm the plant. he said soldiers saved hundreds of lives. >> translator: the militants kidnapped and killed innocent people, and they wanted to blow up the plant. if the special forces had not stormed the plant, the consuenc could have been far more serious. >> ten japanese were among those killed. but said said the militants did not single them out. >> translator: it was japanese workers that happened to be there on the day of the attack. i believe they were chosen because they were foreigners rather than because they were japanese. >> said said the militants began gathering information about the plant two months ago. he said government officials are investigating whether someone from inside passed along information. some analysts suggest the attack was timed to coincide with a visit by senior company officials. militants said they attacked the plant to retaliate for the french

the leaders of britain and france say a rescue operation is ongoing at a natural gas plant in eastern algeria. the country's security forces moved in thursday to free workers who have been held hostage by islamist militants. the total number of captives is unknown. >> they're still pursuing hostages in other areas of the site. >> the militants kidnapped the workers on wednesday. the hostages include japanese, french, and american citizens. an escapee said that militants were holding hostages in a residential section of the facility. algerian military air strikes caused panic and 400 to 600 captives rushed to emergency exits, ignoring orders by the militants to stop. an irish hostage told reuters that the algerian army carried out an air strike on five jeeps with captives inside. his vehicle was its only one that wasn't blown up. spokes persons for the japanese engineering firm jgc corporation says they have been in contact with the captives. the fate of the remaining 10 hostages is unknown. they expressed their determine togs continue fighting terrorism. >> translator: i believe taking lives

which is also reporting that two brits and two filipinos were killed at the amenas gas plant in eastern algeriaconfirm this, only according to reports being watched by the associated press who happens to be on the ground there and other individuals who are watching the news there. algerian tv saying that an operation we believe began about ten hours ago by the algerian military to free all we know are dozens of hostages, which include as many as seven americans, began with ten hours ago, they say that that has ended, and so far four casualties. earlier in the day the islamic militants in control of the site had said there were dozens who had been killed, so we'll have to wait and see exactly what's happened but right now algerian state media has said it has come to an end, a natural gas plant that's a co-joint effort between british petroleum, stat oil of norway a norway. back to you guys. >> prime minister david cameron from the uk also said expect bad news. >> and hillary clinton warned as well saying we hope to get out of this situation with as little loss of life as possible. >> thanks, mic

the militant group attacked the facility operated by the british burm bp and others in eastern algeria on friday. jjc corporation says at least three of its 17 japanese employees at the plant are among those being held. the militants are demanding that france end its military operations in mali. the french government has yet to issue an official response. the algerian government will not negotiate with the hostage takers. >>> investigators looking into the emergency landing of a 787 dreamliner found evidence smoke did appear inside the aircraft. officials weren't immediately able to confirm that on wednesday after the boeing plane landed. the incident prompted japanese and american aviation authorities to order airlines to ground all 787s in operation. a team from japan's transport safety board tried to figure out why cockpit instruments indicated the presence of smoke on the knee pon airways 787. flight controllers at the airport also reported smoke coming from the plane but ana officials said the crew didn't see anything. however, a passenger took a photo after the plane was evacuate

norwegian company stat oil and the algerian government is located in the remote sahara desert in eastern algeria, near the libyan border. militants reportedly approached the facility in three unmarked vehicles. their attack left at least two dead, including a british national. they took at least 20, and perhaps more than 40 people hostage. at least three americans, 13 norwegians and others from britain, ireland, canada, japan and france. reportedly leading the attack, former al qaeda commander, mokhtar belmokhtar, who always before promised retaliation for france's military action in neighboring mali. for days, french fighter jets have pounded islamic militants in mali with american drones providing intelligence. france has also sent hundreds of troops with hundreds more on the way. they will be joined by troops from neighboring african countries. the militants have warned that france's intervention here will come at a very high price. they say that by landing here, they have opened the gates of hell, a warning perhaps not only to france, but to all western interests here in africa. the militant

dozens of foreign workers are being held hostage at a gas facility in eastern algeria. two people root killed in the attack -- they say it is revenge for french intervention in neighboring mali. heavy fighting between the free syria army and government forces near a suburb of the capitol, according to opposition groups. there are reports of a big explosion in the same district to the northwest of damascus. >> activists say the syrian army has fired missiles toward targets in the north of the country. well this opposition video shows one of numerous air strikes, witnesses report from just outside of damascus. a helicopter crash in london has killed two people and injured nine others. the helicopter was on a commercial flight from just south of the capital. it was on its way to north london, but was diverted because of poor weather. the helicopter never made it. it hit a crane on top of a 50- story residential building. it then crashed close to the station and the u.k.'s international intelligence agency. >> panic on a busy london street. this is the scene moments after a

who took part in the september attack in benghazi were also involved in the hostage crisis in eastern algeria. they say the militants were killed during the assault. the attack to the gas plant was connected to neighboring city mali. they said they attacked due to the crackdown on the algerian fighter jets there. elizabeth palmer has that part of the story very when we arrived at the main military airfield, wi found u.s. transport planes had already started to land. five in all, bringing in more than a hundred tons of gear and soldiers from a military base in france. the fighter planes, armored vehicles, helicopters, they're all french, and so are the soldiers. 2,800 french boots on the ground here in mali but behind the scenes this is an international effort and war very few saw coming. the u.s. air force role is critical. >> it's a great dynamic situation, so we don't really have a full handle on that yet, but we expect the operations to continue for the next several days. >> reporter: here's what triggered the french assault. well armed figures linked to al qaeda had been taking over town

at least three americans are among the oil field workers being held by islamic terrorists in eastern algeria. the obama administration says tonight it will take all steps required to deal with the situation. david martin has the late- breaking details. >> reporter: the americans are being held with dozens of other western hostages at this natural gas complex in a remote corner of algeria. a joint venture involving algeria, norway and b.p., it was attacked early this morning by militants claiming to be members of al qaeda. defense secretary panetta learned of the attack while on a visit to italy. >> by all indications, this is a terrorist act, and the united states strongly condemns these kinds of terrorist acts. it is a very serious matter when americans are taken hostage. >> reporter: under the command of a veteran terrorist who goes by an arabic nickname meaning "one-eyed man," the attackers say they are retaliating for french air strikes against al qaeda-linked terrorists across the border in mali. with u.s. backing, the french- launched strikes started last friday in an effort to stop ha

he claims his men launched an attack in eastern algeria, offering to stop if the u.s. releases from prison the man known from the blind shake -- as the blind shake. it is not clear if he took part of the assault or if he survived. he is believed to have been shot on thursday and sent to a news website. algerian bomb disposal teams are searching the plant for explosives and the remains of those killed during saturday's's final assault to freedom. they did recover more bodies on saturday. as many as 25. authorities released footage showing some of the weapons used in the assault. heavy machine guns, rifles, rocket launchers, shotguns, and grenade belt. they released a recording of one attacker making demands and threatened to kill all of the hostages. >> [indiscernible] >> in the meantime, survivors told their stories. >> gunfire outside, machine gun fire, sometimes, quiet. >> relatives of more than one dozen foreign workers still do not know their loved ones' fate. the final casualty toll has been calculated, and foreign governors will try to figure out what happened an

algeria. defense secretary leon panetta is calling it a terrorist attack. the hostages were taken when about 20 extremists attacked a gas field. this is a file picture of the field. it's in the eastern part of algeria. it's partly owned by the energy company bp. now algeria's interior minister said that two people were killed in the attack. it's believed to be retaliation for algeria's support for the french offensive in mali. a u.s. state department official said that as many as ten americans were work at the oil field. the state department hasn't said how many of them right now may be hostages. we are told a special operations team is standing by, quote, on a very short string. obviously this is a very fluid situation. i'm joined no by cnn foreign affairs correspondent jill dougherty and former cia officer bob baer. jill, you've been working your sources today. what is the latest? >> we believe obviously this happened at a gas field. if you look at the map, it's in eastern algeria. that's 37 miles from the libyan border. and that's important because they believe that the people who carried this out came in from the east, in from libya. they went to this gas field. it's owned by bp

today freed hostages told how the militants stormed the living quarters of the bp gas plant in eastern algeria wednesday morning. separating the foreigners from algerians. one hostage said he was forced to wear explosives around his neck. an estimated 400 foreign nationals were freed in the government's rescue attempt thursday. up to 18 militants and 12 hostages were killed including fredrick butacchio of katy texas. >> terrorists should be on notice that they will find no sanctuary. >> reporter: the group has a history of taking hostages for millions of the dollars in ransom. >> basically got its start in by kidnapping 30 odd european tourists since then they've been involved in kidnapping, they've become involved in drug smuggling. >> tonight there are reports that the kidnappers want to trade two american hostages for two suspected terrorists in the u.s. custody. but ken and gasia right now the u.s. says they will not do that. that's out of the question. they will not negotiate with terrorists. >> jana, thank you. >>> foreigner new orleans mayor ray negin has been indicted on federal chargi

its operations against the terrorists who had been holding the hostages and that gas complex in eastern algeria. it is at an end. we will have further developments with more on the numbers of those who are alive, successfully rescued as we continue our coverage on the algerian hostage-taking. the terrorist group response will be taking a as we continue here. stay with us. we're coming right back. some local police and sheriff's don't want to enforce a federal laws if they are prohibited from enforcing federal immigration laws. they don't certainly want to enforce federal laws they deemed to be unconstitutional. oregon sheriff tim mueller says it is all about the second amendment. he joins us next. executive orders, executive actions. this president's actions on the second amendment constitutional. attorneys join us to argue the issues and the constitution. the. ♪ the boys use capital one venture miles for their annual football trip. that's double miles you can actually use. tragically, their ddy got sacked by blackouts. but it's our tradition! that's roughin the card holder. but with the capita

today freed hostages told how the militants stormed the living quarters of the bp gas plant in eastern algeria wednesday morning. separating the foreigners from algerians. one hostage said he was forced to wear explosives around his neck. an estimated 400 foreign nationals were freed in the government's rescue attempt thursday. up to 18 militants and 12 hostages were killed including fredrick butacchio of katy texas. >> terrorists should be on notice that they will find no sanctuary. >> reporter: the group has a history of taking hostages for millions of the dollars in ransom. >> basically got its start in by kidnapping 30 odd european tourists since then they've been involved in kidnapping, they've become involved in drug smuggling. >> tonight there are reports that the kidnappers want to trade two american hostages for two suspected terrorists in the u.s. custody. but ken and gasia right now the u.s. says they will not do that. that's out of the question. they will not negotiate with terrorists. >> jana, thank you. >>> foreigner new orleans mayor ray negin has been indicted on federal chargi

in the that immense, rich oil and gas reserve, preserve across eastern algeria and western libya. are right now? with an unknown number, three to seven americans held hostage. we still don't know the, their state. lori: we haven't had a hostage crisis like this in a generation. >> no. but we had an attempted hostage situation of course. that is precisely what the intelligence community believes happened in benghazi with those four americans who were killed by terrorists there. interestingly, you know, he despite the fact that norway is, you mentioned statoil and norwegian oil company, bp, obviously british. despite all of that there has been little communication with the governments of the facility there and the interesting relationship here. we talked a lot about energy independence on your show, mine and all others here at fox business. but this is an example of what is happening when you are not, what can happen when you are not energy independent. europe right now is a classic case of dependency on foreign energy. a third of their gas, this is a gas plant in algeria, they're l

a deadly terrorist attack on a gas field in eastern algeria near the libyan border. some of the more than 40 hostages seized have been released but a number of them are still being held, including americans. the state department confirms those americans are affiliated with the oil giant bp. let's bring in elise labott. the latest information you're getting is what? >> well, at first these assailants, these affiliated-al qaeda militants tried to storm a bus, these bp employees headed for an air field in nearby eastern algeria, that was not successful. then they stormed the compound of this living -- the living quarters of this air field and they took about 40 hostages. we understand that about seven americans -- we're not sure. it could be a little bit more, a little less -- are being held as well as britain, japan, norway, and ir labd. >> do we know who these americans are, what they were doing there precisely? >> they were all working in some capacity for bp. it's a very remote area and that's all that is going on, is this gas field in the area. we know the state de

bill: well the search is on for more bodies in the gas complex in that remote section of eastern algeriahan 80 people are dead after that terror attack in the sahara including at least one american we've heard about so far. conor powell live in our middle east bureau with more what is happening there today. connor. hello. >> reporter: a group reportedly behind this attack that left at least 48 of the hostages killed and at least one american. there isn't much known about the group. the group's name actually means the brig dwad -- brigade of the masked ones. it is believed to be tied with other terror groups in north after and including mali and libya and also has ties to al qaeda. they are promising more attacks like this one if western governments don't stop military operations in neighboring mali. initially they said all 32 militants were killed in the initial raid. they're saying five, six or so of them are in custody. this is type of confusing information we've been getting out of algeria since the start of it and doesn't help paint a full picture what happened there. late last night

it happened overnight in eastern algeria, on the border of libya. this is a joint venture. uge producer of natural gas supplies some 30% of natural gas to europe and these militants have said the reason they have conduct this attack is because of retaliation for french military intervention into neighboring mali. that's why they've undertaken this situation. so it's getting more and more intense in north africa and certainly we have seen the war on terror move from what was typically before what we call the middle east and east and now northern africa. >> as you well know the united states has quietly been helping the french who were trying to quell the al qaeda linked rebellion in mali. is that a leading indicator, is that what panetta is saying there will be american footprints in this whole situation? >> reporter: that's unclear at this point. he's traveling in italy. those were brief comments to reporters. we'll find out in ensuing days what he means. >> thanks very much, michelle caruso-cabrera as always. now we're going to go from guns to the debt ceiling to the future

confusion, almost no clarity, about the algerian military attempt to take control of the facility in eastern algeria that simon referenced. neither b.p. or stat oil, nor the u.k. government nor the u.s. government able to provide any clarity about the state of that on peril rags. there are conflicting reports about casualties. b.p. along with other energy companies in the country are moving nonessential employees from algeria. once again, in the last hour the white house strongly condemning the attack on the plant and the white house spokesperson saying president obama is being briefed regularly on the situation. they would not provide any clarity about whether or not there are u.s. drones over algeria at this point. to give you the background, a group connected to al qaeda has claimed responsibility for this attack. they said it is in retaliation for fran's moving into mali. they tried to put a stop to islamic militants trying to take over that country. >> michelle, the earlier reports i saw in the associated press, news source, there were multiple fatalities, maybe as many as 35 among the whose st

killed in the fighting at the gas plant in remote eastern algeria. we're going to get to the state department now and our foreign affairs correspondent, jill dougherty. jill, what more do we know about how the hostage crisis ended today? >> well, john, you can definitely say that it was very violent. in fact, we're still trying to pin down the numbers. you know, as the algerian news agency said, 23 hostages were killed. 32 terrorists were killed. but that area was mined. and, in fact, the british foreign secretary just talked about that, that it was booby trapped. so as now they go in to clear it and make it safe, there is a lot that they may not know. and is still not a clear -- the operation is over, but it's not a cleared-out space. they could find things as they go through. let's listen to the defense secretary, leon panetta. he said it very well this afternoon. >> with regards to the numbers of americans, we are still trying to get accurate information about just exactly how many americans were located there and exactly what happened to them. >>

priority making sure that people believed that oil and natural gas drilling was still safe in eastern algeria. so, i think we're going to have to play this out. it's not a satisfactory answer, but the real question is, what are we going to do about the broader threat of al-qaeda and islamic. >> and you said what was apparently one of the provocations was the french and the algerians, let the french use their air space to go to mali and attack rebels there. i'm curious, is this a change in the french. are the french getting more involved in the war. >> these are french colonies and this is what they do in former french kohl list. >> greta: this is as aggressive i've seen the french do. >> the government in mali was about to fall to the terrorists, from their perspective i think they're probably a little late to the game, but i think that this operation against this natural gas drilling facility, obviously, was planned well in advance of the french operation in mali. >> greta: you think that it's not-- >> this is a huge hostage taking operation hundreds of algerians, along with several does for

the hostages that have been taken in eastern algeria are a step that was threatened by the al qaeda,he islamist extremists who were making the security situation in mali so intenable that the french felt compelled to take military action. i support the administration's decision to support the french military action. we're providing intelligence and logistics support, and i look forward to advocating in congress for the financial resources needed to ensure that the appropriate steps are taken, both by the french and regional militaries. the u.n. security council has authorized this action, the malian president had requested help, and the concerning situation of the american hostages and other western hostages is just one bracing reminder, andrea, of how dangerous and how difficult the situation in mali is and how much of a risk they pose to security in the region. >> i know we only have a few seconds left, but i want to quickly ask you, you're traveling with john mccain and others in the delegation, are you advocating on behalf of chuck hagel as you're on the foreign relations committ

it is in eastern algeria, 37 miles from the libyan border. that's important because they believe the people that carried this out came in from the east, in from libya. they went to this gas field, owned by bp. the algerians and the norwegians. they carried out this attack. apparently they had a previous attack, it didn't work. they moved to another part of the complex. it is quite large. that's where they took the hostages. >> the man claiming responsibility is mokhtar belmokhtar. what do you know about him? >> he has broken away from al qaeda. he broke away in december. but has long standing relations. he is a sal afy. he is very hostile to the west, particularly well-armed. over the last year, he has been buying libyan arms, surface air missiles, other heavy weaponry. he is a particularly dangerous radical guy. >> is he libyan or algerian? >> he is algerian. these are aljeerion based groups. they go back to 1992. the libyans -- the libyan revolution has opened arms they never had access to before. this has been brewing for some time. >> jil

this all started wednesday when heavily armed militants went into a gas field in eastern algeria.hey took hundreds captive. algerian special forces are trying to find a peaceful way to solve this thing. one american, 11 other hostages were killed in an algerian military rescue operation thursday. 650 others were free or escaped. six of them were american. and some survivors say they escaped with plastic explosives the kidnappers had strapped on their necks. >>> for lots of people, he was the face of new orleans during the 2005 hurricane katrina catastrophe. but now, former new orleans mayor ray nagin has been indicted on 21 federal counts of corruption. he's accused soft money laundering and bribery and tax and wire fraud. prosecutors say nagin's family members received a vacation in hawaii, first class airfare to jamaica, private jet, a limo cost more than $23,000 as part of these alleged bribes. >>> let's head back to washington now. randi kaye is live this morning at the national mall, ahead of president obama's inauguration. randi, i know that there have to be some heaters out

the attack occurred overnight at a natural gas facility in eastern algeria which is in northern africa. the facility operated as a joint venture between bp of the uk and stat oil of norway and the nigerian state oil company. u.s. defense secretary leon panetta while speaking to reporters in italy called this a terrorist attack so the u.s. will take, quote, all necessary and proper steps. we are showing you the actual facility in algeria. the google map, google earth. a group affiliated for al qaeda has claimed responsibility for the attacks, in retaliation for france's military intervention into the country of mali which borders algieria. france began that intervention last week to try to combat islamic militants that work in that country. the hostages include not only americans but french, british, norwegian, japanese and an irish citizen as well. and according to information about algeria on bp's website, algeria supplies 30% of europe's natural gas. bill, back to you. >> thank you very much, michelle. more as that story continues to unfold. meantime, headed towards the close. 50 min

if you look at the map, it's in eastern algeria. that's 37 miles from the libyan border. and that's important because they believe that the people who carried this out came in from the east, in from libya. they went to this gas field. it's owned by bp. the algerians and the norwegians. and they carried out this attack. apparently what happened is they had a previous attack. it didn't work. and then moved to another part of this complex. you can see it's quite large. and that's where they took these hostages. they say that they have 41 people that may or may not be true. initially, the reports were there were seven americans. there are probably about three. but there are also japanese, british, norwegian and irish at least, anderson. >> and bob, the man claiming responsibility for this, his name is mokhtar belmokhtar. what do you know about him? >> he has broken away from al qaeda. he broke away in december, but has long-standing relations. he is a salahify. he is particularly well armed. over the last year he has been buying libyan arms, surface-to-air missiles, other hea

are not happy because the only involvement the u-s had here was to send an u-manned drone to eastern algeriaalgeria's army says it had no choice but to send in its special forces for a rescue. a very bloody fight apparently ensued. it appears several - at least six hostages have been killed in the process. dozens more are unaccounted for. it's still unclear how many americans are involved. cnn has confirmed that among those still being held -- a man from texas. islamist militants are clainimg responsibility for the ambush, which happened yesterday at a b-p gas plant. that group says at least 35 hostages died - but officcials are highly skeptical of that. they are preparing for a very bad situation. >> pam: a search for an attempted kidnapper in san jose is called off. after the mother admits she made up the whole story. kron 4's rob fladeboe is live tonight at san jose police headquarters. rob - have police said why the mother made up the story? >> reporter: there were a lot of red flags. exactly why, they are not saying. but they are very angry that many police resources were wasted what tu

which was operating together with some local affiliates that facility, the oil/gas facility in eastern algeria chartered a plane carrying bp employees from algeria, expected to land in the uk around midnight local time. bp would not confirm whether the employees include those who were at this facility, at this gas field. so apparently they are taking their people out. it's a very dangerous situation, i assume. you've studied this for a long time. i was surprised to hear that there were these bp employees there in that volatile situation but you know a lot more about this than i do. >> well, there are large multinational corporations and gas corporations that work in southern algeria in conjunction with the algerian national energy company. so that is not surprising. what was surprising about this attack was the choice of target. aqim has targeted energy workers before, most notably in 2010 when another aqim commander kidnapped seven employees of the -- of a subcontractor of the french nuclear firm and this was surprising given the level of security that is generally present at oil and gas site

this is a google earth map of the british petroleum gas field where the attack happened in eastern algeriaday confirmed americans were among the hostages, but would not say how many were taken. indications are the attakers are affiliated with al qaeda and based in mali. militants from mali may be making good on their threats of revenge for the french intervention. agence france-presse spoke to one of the attackers by phone. he identified himself to agence france-presse as an al qaeda loyalist from mali. defense secretary leon panetta has called it a - quote- 'terrorist act.' the militants reportedly launched the attack in anger over algiers' support of the french offensive in mali. meantime, the u-s embassy has issued an emergency message to u-s citizens in >> pam: a developing story we're following tonight. san jose police are hunting for a suspect in connection with a brazen attempted kidnapping. just minutes ago.police just released a sketch of the suspect. that sketch is on your screen. kron four's rob fladeboe spoke with the mother. she struggled with the man who was trying to pull he

official telling fox news three americans are among 41 hostages being held at atp oil facility in eastern algeriaed as we get them. goma sex and morgan stanley paying 557 million dollars to mortgage borrowers part of a broad settlement deal paving the way for more than 220,000 borrowers who were foreclosed on tw 2009 and 2010 receiving compensation. the agreements in which one reached from 10 other banks. the fed, the currency on january 7. and stocks mixed in afternoon trading. the dow down 29 points. a bad bleak world forecast. that is the latest from the fox business network giving you the power to part prosper. dennis: the national transportation safety board is sending an investigator to japan to assist in investigation after a boeing 787 b. minor was forced to make an emergency landing. cheryl: the latest on this developing story. >> this latest 787 safety issue happened in western japan. a warning light came on and then there was smoke detected in the cockpit. we're also told passengers could smell it in the cabin prompting an emergency landing which went smoothly. there were no injuries b

. >> it took place in the eastern part of algeria at an oil compound with oil workers. a number of people are held hostage. this does include british nationals, and it is a dangerous situation. >> the u.s. state department confirms americans are among the hostages. >> we are monitoring the situation. we are in contact with authorities and diplomatic counterparts as well as the security office in london. >> this hostage crisis is focusing right across whitehall. what is not clear is what exactly are the kidnappers motives, because this boils down to two possibilities. is this about money? or is it about politics? the french military's actions to push back rebels linked to al qaeda has led to threats of retaliation. this could be part of the retaliation, or it could have been planned weeks ago. algeria and several other countries are faced with an unexpected hostage standoff they will try to resolve without bloodshed. >> for more on the kidnappings and the fallout, rick nelson served at the national counter- terrorism center. these foreigners who have been arrested in all

. >> reporter: so the large scale operations to rescue the hostages from the gas plant in eastern algeria has ended but there is still some ongoing activity at the plant possibly to root out some terrorists who may still be hiding within the plant which is a fairly large and sprawling complex. but what we understand from the algerian press service is that the reason that the algerians decided to conduct this operation yesterday was they felt the terrorists were on the verge of taking the hostages out of the country. so they launched this operate to rescue these hostages, without warning the -- they were able as you mentioned to rescue 650 hostages, 573 of those hostages are algerian and they have been able to rescue 132 foreign nationals, 100 of those nationals have been rest cued. prime minister david cameron has said that these attackers, the people that are behind these attacks were well armed, this was a well coordinated attack. so the rationale that the attackers gave for attacking the hostages in the first place was france's ability to conduct military operations in mali's air space

. >> reporter: the huge gas facility is not far from the eastern border of algeria. on wednesday, al qaeda-linked terrorist took over buses carrying employees and then took control of a nearby residential area and apparently hundreds of hostages. hillary clinton >> let's not forget this is an act of terror. >> reporter: they feared they were being taken away. militants and hostages died in the military operation. some hostages were wired to explosives. listen carefully. >> they came right up and they said the military are firing all over the top of us. >> reporter: some of the rescued released or escaped hostages are getting medical treatment. >> it happened so fast. >> reporter: they're free, but dozens of others are apparently still in terrorist's hands. the british prime minister talked to algerian authorities friday. >> this is a large and complex site, and they are still pursuing terrorists and possibly some hostages in other areas of the site. >> reporter: the terrorist group under the apparent direction has apparently offered a hostage swap. two americans for

. >> sure, hostage situation is in eastern algeria, a largely lawless area, that sits next to libya itself. if you've got an area without much government control. this situation in algeria for the hostage takers is about mali, and mali borders algeria and the french stopped islamists moving to the capital and because of that these hostage takers in algeria-- >> hold on, you lost mere. >> sorry. >> megyn: who is mali, and why do we care about her? just kidding. mali is a country that used to be a democracy and then there was a coup and all sorts of bad guys started running mali. so-- >> pouring down from the north into the south and we're trying to push, the french are trying to push them back. >> megyn: so this is related to that issue. so people are upset in algeria what is happening in mali. how did the american citizens get involved in this. >> the american citizens are workers at this gas plant, the international oil and gas facility run largely by bp, which has had quite a bad streak of luck recently and seized by islamicists called themselves the masked brigade or battalion of blood

terrorists storming a gas complex in eastern algeria taking hundreds hostage.n is still unaccounted for. here now one of the hostages who was freed. we just got this in a moment ago. >> i think they did a fantastic job, i was very impressed with the algerian army. he feel sorry for anybody who has been hurt. >> everybody is okay thanks to the algerian army, everybody is taking good carv care of us. and we are lucky and everything is good. martha: so many questions remain in this whole thing. amy kellogg joins me now from london. so what can you tell us, amy, what do we know? >> reporter: well, martha, of course this may have been a response to recent events, the operation in mali, but according to the british prime minister today -rpbg, this was a heavily armed, of course we knew, very well coordinated and probably preplanned attack. what we are hearing that is new, and this is from the "associated press" quoting a source close to the scene, 60 hostages still unaccounted for, missing, possibly dead, or still being held at this point. and let's take one more loo