Hostage crisis: M'sia co-operating with CIA, M16

Malaysia is forging cooperation with American, British and Egyptian intelligence to find out about the fate of two more Malaysians, whose identities are known, in the hostage incident in eastern Algeria, North Africa, last Wednesday.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said the cooperation involved the United States' Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Britain's MI-6 and the Egyptian intelligence.

He said the latest information was still unclear, forcing the government to obtain information from various sources including intelligence agencies to know about the situation of the Malaysians who were taken hostage in Algeria.

"I am monitoring the matter closely, and we have a network of intelligence agencies that we can rely on and not necessarily in Algeria but nearer to that country.

"I also receive reports from our anti-terrorism unit, but I admit that we have been receiving some conflicting reports.

"So, certain things remain unclear but the fate of our citizens is our prime consideration," he said at a press conference after a patrol programme with the Motorcycle Patrol Unit in the Ampang area, here, today.

In the incident, five Malaysians were among 130 workers of various nationalities at the Amenas Oil and Gas Production Complex in Algeria who were taken hostage by a group of militants.

It is believed that the incident was an act of revenge against the Algeran government for allowing the country's air space to be used by French fighter jets to attack Islamist rebels in Mali.

Of the five Malaysians held hostage, three are safe and will return to Malaysia soon while the other two have yet to be identified. The three are K. Ravi, Lau Seek Chiang and Patrict Purait Awang.

Meanwhile, the Malaysian embassy in Algiers, Algeria has received information that one of the two unidentified Malaysians might have been killed during the attack by the militants at the gas facility while the whereabouts of the other are unknown.