Reporters can't get anywhere near the natural gas installation in the Algerian desert where a hostage-taking of foreign oil workers has been underway. But the man calling the shots is believed to be Moktar Belmoktar ... once a key leader of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Megrab before breaking off to go solo ... so-to-speak with his own band of Algerian Jihadists. And there's one Canadian who can give us some insight into this guy, Robert Fowler was Moktar Belmoktar's captive and we hear from him.

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Algerian hostage-taking & gas plant raid - Algerian Freelance Reporter

We started this segment with a clip from UK Foreign Secretary William Hague condemning yesterday's killing of a Briton by Islamist militants in Algeria who was killed at the very start of the hostage-taking.

The information coming out of Algeria this morning is scattered ... reports of an Algeria military strike that may have gone wrong, that may have killed several hostages and hostage-takers or not.

This is a natural gas complex in the Sahara operated jointly by BP, Norway's Statoil, the Algeria state oil company ... there's a Japanese company there as well. No Canadians are believed to be involved but the information coming out is very sketchy.

Said Benali is an Algerian freelance reporter. He's been following this story from the country's capital of Algiers. And that's where we reached him.

Algerian hostage-taking & gas plant raid - Robert Fowler

The man behind what appears to becoming an increasingly bloody drama is believed to be Mokhtar Belmokhtar and his independant "Masked Brigade" as it is called.

Most who claim to have expertise on Islamist militants know about him but would not have met him. However, Robert Fowler is one of the few Westerner who have come face to face with Mokhtar Belmokhtar.

Fowler is a former Canadian diplomat who was kidnapped in the region by Al-Queda in 2008. Robert Fowler joined us this morning.

* Listen to our interview with Robert Fowler on what he experienced, what he learned and who might have set him up when he was kidnapped. *

Algerian hostage-taking & gas plant raid - Maghreb Review

Mohamed Ben-Madani is an editor and founder of the Maghreb Review covering north Africa, the Middle East, Africa and Islamic studies. We reached him in London, England.

This segment was produced by The Current's Jessica deMello and Shannon Higgins.

Other segments from today's show:

Ethical Hacking: Should good intentions get special protection from prosecution? (Atlantic & Eastern Time Zone)

Make room in the workplace for people with Autism

Checking-In: Listener Response