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| Algeria hostage Belfast man Stephen McFaul is free | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A Belfast man who was held hostage at a BP facility in Algeria has been freed and has spoken to his wife. | |
| Stephen McFaul, 36, who was travelling on an Irish passport, was being held along with other foreign nationals. | |
| Earlier, the man's family appealed for his release "as a matter of urgency". | |
| The kidnappers attacked and occupied the complex on Wednesday, after killing a Briton and an Algerian. | The kidnappers attacked and occupied the complex on Wednesday, after killing a Briton and an Algerian. |
| The Republic of Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs said Mr McFaul had "made contact with his family and is understood to be safe and freed from captivity". | |
| Sinn Fein Belfast MLA Paul Maskey tweeted following a visit to the McFaul family home. | |
| "Brilliant news on his release. Family delighted," his message read. | |
| Four foreign hostages were freed but the operation resulted in a number of "victims", Algeria's APS agency said. | |
| Algerian soldiers had been surrounding the facility near In which kidnappers occupied on Wednesday, after killing a Briton and an Algerian. | |
| Reports quoting militants said at least 34 hostages and 14 kidnappers died. | |
| Militants told Mauritania's ANI news agency that seven foreign hostages were still alive after the Algerian military raid. | |
| It quoted an unnamed source as saying that "about half" the foreign hostages had been freed. | |
| The Algerian military targeted two vehicles as they tried to escape from the site with an unknown number of people on board. Militants told local media that Algerian forces had opened fire from the air. | |
| The militants earlier said they were holding 41 foreign nationals. They are believed to include British, Japanese, US and Norwegian citizens. | |
| Media reports and officials said a number of hostages had escaped from the gas facility. |