Scenes of terror at Algerian gas field

01/18/13:  The New York Times reports hostages who escaped or were freed from their Islamist captors at the natural-gas field in Algeria have described scenes of fear and terror. Some said they had explosives hung around their necks, and others spoke of the sudden shooting of unarmed colleagues as the terrorist group seized control of the residential quarters of the plant.  The drama began at about 5:30 a.m. on Wednesday with an attack on a bus carrying workers to the nearby airport that was thwarted by Algerian security escorts. It turned into a major hostage-taking as well-armed and experienced Islamists took over the facility’s residential area, which is situated at a distance from the plant to protect workers should an explosion occur.