One American Dead in Hostage Siege in Algeria
By: Fox News
Updated: January 18, 2013
DEVELOPING....
Fox News has confirmed that one American has died in the hostage standoff at an Algerian gas complex. Officials told the Associated Press the deceased American is Texas resident, Frederick Buttaccio. It is unclear how he died.
The officials say Buttaccio's remains have been recovered and his family has been notified.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak publicly on the matter.
Earlier Friday, the State Department confirmed there are still American hostages being held by an Al Qaeda-linked group at the gas plant, deep in the Saharan desert. When asked about a report that the group wants to trade hostages for terror figures jailed in the United States, spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said: "The United States does not negotiate with terrorists."
A Mauritanian news site that often reports news from North African extremists received a statement Friday about the Al Qaeda-linked group offering to trade two Americans being held for two terror figures jailed in the United States. One of the two, Omar Abdel Rahman, masterminded the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
Nuland said the U.S. is working with Algeria and other governments to try to secure the release of the hostages. She did not confirm the supposed trade but repeatedly told reporters, "The United States does not negotiate with terrorists."
Meanwhile, the Associated Press says Algerian state news service is reporting nearly 100 out of 132 foreign hostages have been freed from the gas plant in the Saharan Desert. That number of hostages at the remote desert facility was significantly higher than any previous report, and still meant that the fate of over 30 foreign energy workers was unclear.
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