SNC-Lavalin employee kidnapped

A local employee of SNC-Lavalin has been kidnapped by five armed gunmen in Djebham, 150 km southeast of Algiers in Algeria.

The worker was on his way to a water-treatment project being constructed by the Group when the gunmen struck and took him away in a car.

"We reported the incident to local authorities and they are co-ordinating the investigation and efforts to obtain his release," said Leslie Quinton of SNC-Lavalin in Montreal, Canada. "We've taken all possible steps to protect our workers in Algeria after terrorists ambushed a group of employees last October and killed seven. Today's incident shows that Algiers continues to be an area of concern."