Forensic testing has reportedly identified a Canadian as one of the attackers killed in a brazen four-day siege of an oilfield in Algeria in January.

On Monday, the RCMP stated that “Canadian human remains” were found at the site where more than three dozen hostages had been killed, but would not confirm if they belonged to one of the suspected militants, or a victim.

However, a security source told the Toronto Star that the RCMP’s DNA-testing identified an assailant — confirming in part what Algeria’s prime minister had told reporters earlier this year.

Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal and Algerian security officials said a Canadian — identified only as “Chedad” or “Shaddad” — was a key co-ordinator, responsible for making contact with the media in the operation that began Jan. 16 and killed foreign hostages from eight countries, including France, Japan, the United States and the United Kingdom.

Sellal claimed the well-planned operation involved inside help and that the militants had entered Algeria from northern Mali.

The fact that Sellal informed the international press of the allegations of Canadian involvement before Ottawa sparked a diplomatic row.

Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird issued a statement following Sellal’s news conference, saying the Algerian government had not sent any information to Canada backing up claims that at least one Canadian “co-ordinated the attack.”

Officers with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police were later dispatched to Algeria where they have reportedly been co-operating with local authorities.

Many unanswered questions remain about the attack by militants who claimed they were seeking revenge for military intervention to oust Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb in neighbouring Mali.

Hundreds were taken hostage and a final battle between the militants and Algeria’s elite commando unit ended with the deaths of as many as 37 hostages and 29 attackers. At least 36 of the dead hostages were foreigners, according to The Associated Press.

One account stated that a bearded, blond Canadian who spoke with unaccented English had been negotiating on the telephone during the hostage-taking.