Algeria: fewer Britons at risk - PM

Prime Minister David Cameron said the number of British citizens at risk in the Algerian terror attack has now been "quite significantly reduced".

It was reported on Thursday night that around 30 British citizens were believed to be "at risk".

Mr Cameron told MPs that the Algerian government had not warned him it was planning to take military action to end the terrorist attack at a gasfield despite his request to be kept informed.

The Prime Minister said the situation in Algeria was "continuing" but he hoped it would be resolved shortly.

Mr Cameron condemned the "brutal and savage" attack at the In Amenas site in which at least one Briton has been killed.

In a Commons statement he told MPs: "We were not informed of this in advance. I was told by the Algerian prime minister while it was taking place.

"He said that the terrorists had tried to flee, that they judged there to be an immediate threat to the lives of the hostages and had felt obliged to respond."

He added: "This is a large and complex site and they are still pursuing terrorists and possibly some of the hostages in other areas of the site.

"The Algerian prime minister has just told me this morning that they are now looking at all possible routes to resolving this crisis. Last night the number of British citizens at risk was less than 30. Thankfully, we now know that number has been quite significantly reduced."

The Foreign Office said a chartered plane carrying specialist staff trained to deal with people caught up in such "extreme circumstances" had landed in Algeria - around 280 miles from the gas facility.