Security analyst AKE said the terrorist attack in Algeria was bold and unprecedented.
Spokesman John Drake said: “A lot of the information surrounding the In Amenas situation is still very much unconfirmed and speculative so it is difficult to analyse what is actually happening.
“However, this is definitely a bold attack, and there is no recent precedent for one of this scale and success in Algeria, although it does resemble kidnap incidents which used to occur fairly regularly in the country, particularly prior to 2007.
“There have been terrorist and kidnap attacks on oil facilities in the country in the past and it remains a very attractive sector due to its importance to the Algerian government and international markets, and given the fact that many foreign nationals work in the sector.
“However, the frequency of such attacks has reduced over recent years due to successful operations by the Algerian military against groups linked to AQIM (al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb).
“AQIM was largely pushed out of Algeria and began conducting kidnaps in the Sahel (Mauritania, Niger, Chad, Mali) following the pressure applied by Algerian security forces.”