The Tanaiste has called for the immediate release of an Irish citizen who is among a group of oil-workers kidnapped in Algeria this morning.

The Department of Foreign Affairs is providing consular assistance to the family.

Eamon Gilmore says "The government stands ready to use all the resources available to us to ensure that our citizen is released as soon as possible".

'Working to establish facts'

The Department say they are in close contact with its international partners and a wide range of other contacts in order to establish the facts of the situation.

However Foreign Affairs says at this stage the identity and motives of the kidnappers is unknown.

But it is understood that the man is a Northern Ireland resident.

The workers were taken by a group claiming to be al-Qaeda at the Swedish oil plant.

They are being kept in a compound and it is believed there have been injuries among the oil-workers.

The Department of Foreign Affairs has refused to disclose the location of the incident.