Malian special forces have arrested two men over last week’s attack on a luxury hotel in the capital, according to a statement distributed Friday morning, as the government provided a breakdown by nationality of the 20 people killed in the attack.
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The incident occurred Friday last week (just a week after the Paris attacks), when at least two gunmen entered the Radisson Blu Hotel in Bamako, opened fire and killed 20 people, including six Russians, three Chinese and an American.
Hours later, Malian commandos entered the hotel and freed 170 hostages that the gunmen had been holding as hostage. Two attackers were killed.
Security Minister Salif Traore said on Thursday that there were only two attackers armed with AK-47 assault rifles.
The attack has been claimed by the Al-Mourabitoun extremist group, which said it had cooperated with al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, and the Macina Liberation Front, a group active in central Mali that said it had worked with yet another militant group, Ansar Dine. In 2013, the French pushed Islamic militants out of Mali’s northern cities and towns although jihadists continue to carry out attacks on United Nations peacekeepers. Other francophone countries within Africa that have close ties with France may also be hit soon.
Reuters said that the US Embassy in Bamako has already warned of the possibility of “further terrorist activity in the capital” and citizens have been advised to avoid public places like bars, restaurants, and shopping centers.
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Christophe Monbelli-Valloir, deputy police commissioner for MINUSMA, said on Thursday a team from the FBI had arrived to help the Malian-led investigation.
