Malian investigators were today intensifying the hunt for suspects wanted over the jihadist siege at a luxury hotel that left 19 people dead in the capital Bamako, where residents were seeking to return to normal life.
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Al-Jazeera reported that it had received a recording asserting that a local militant group, Al Mourabitoun, had carried out the assault in conjunction with al-Qaida’s regional affiliate, though the claim could not be independently confirmed.
According to AFP, at least 27 people have been killed in the attack, which occurred on Friday when armed gunmen entered the up-scale Radisson Blu hotel taking over 100 people hostage.
A spokeswoman for the Russian foreign ministry says six Russians were killed in Friday’s attack in Mali on the Radisson Blu hotel.
An emergency cabinet meeting chaired by Keita declared a 10-day state of emergency to help the search for “terrorists on the run and possible accomplices” and three days of mourning to start on Monday.
Northern Mali was occupied by Islamist fighters, a few with links to Al-Qaeda, for most of 2012. A military intervention led by French forces the following year drove extremists from cities and towns, weakening their stronghold but causing them to scatter.
In March masked gunmen shot up a restaurant in Bamako, located in Mali’s south, that is popular with foreigners, killing five people.
“Nowhere in the world is one safe from these barbarians from another time”, he said, adding that the attackers had “decided to break with humanity”.
He expressed solidarity with the affected countries whose nationals were killed in Mali. Although Malian special forces have moved into the hotel, the siege continues. An American development worker, Anita Ashok Datar of Takoma Park, Maryland, was killed, as was at least one Belgian citizen. The United Nations mission said it was sending security reinforcements and medical aid to the scene.
The U.S. Embassy in Bamako issued a warning to citizens in the country on Twitter, saying it was “aware of an ongoing active shooter operation” and telling Americans in the country to seek shelter.
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Commandos stormed the hotel and rescued 170 people, but 19 hostages were killed along with two militants.
