Mark Grant, from Grangemouth, is believed to have been among the foreign nationals taken hostage at the gas plant.

BBC: Algeria siege: Alex Salmond confirms Scots among hostages

As a result, Nadjia Bouaricha writes in El Watan , "national public opinion has been the hostage of foreign media outlets distilling snippets of information gleaned from this or that news agency or this or that often doubtful source".

BBC: Algerian press defends army action in hostage crisis

British special forces are on standby to stage a rescue mission in Algeria, after foreign gas plant workers were taken hostage, says the Times.

BBC: Papers