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That's only the start of the problem. I lived in France for a couple of years and have talked to many Algerians and ex-Algerians of all types. Here's the situation in a nutshell -- the militant Islamist rebel forces in Algeria are heavily penetrated by the agents of the Algerian state intelligence agency. In fact, penetration is putting it mildly; often, the entire effective leadership of these groups is directed by the secret police (an agency usually known by its French initials DRS).

The standard strategy of the DRS is to lead the rebels into fanatical murderous attacks that cause them to lose popularity with the Algerian masses. It's the Soviet method of penetration and provocation, used by the KGB in places like Chechnya.

The Algerian ruling elite is formed largely of army generals who were originally trained by the French, and fought with the French in the Algerian civil war of the 1950s and 60s until it became clear that De Gaulle was going to pull out -- at which point they crossed over to the rebel side. They and their families generally speak French among themselves, send their children to school in France, and have little in common with most Algerians.

The Algerian state is largely funded by resource revenues extracted by foreign companies, mostly French. Lots of these revenues go straight into the bank accounts of the Algerian elite. So, connect the dots. This "rebel attack" on the gas plant is probably led by agents of the DRS. Its root cause is likely a struggle for money among factions of the Algerian ruling group. This situation is well understood by people familiar with Algeria, and it's frequently discussed in French-language media, but don't hold your breath waiting for American news to tell you about it.