The prosecutor in charge of investigating last week’s deadly assault on a luxury hotel in Mali’s capital urged residents to keep an eye out for suspicious behaviour, warning of heightened security threats as officials struggled to piece together details of how the attack was plotted and executed.
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Men with guns and grenades reportedly broke through a security barrier to enter the Radisson Blu Hotel in Mali on Friday, shouting “Allahu Akbar” (God is great).
The Radisson Blu hotel attacked by two gunmen on Friday was preparing to host a meeting on implementing the latest accords.
The extremist group said the two men were the only attackers.
The victims included six Russians, three Chinese, two Belgians, an American, an Israeli, a Senegalese and a member of the Malian special forces.
They say they are now active in central Mali and are working with another militant group called Ansar Dine and say they did the attack on the hotel in retaliation for Operation Barkhane, a regional French fight against Islamic extremists, said the report from Radio France Internationale.
Samake said the investigation was advancing.
On Monday, state television broadcast the photos of two gunmen killed in the attack and urged anyone with information to come forward.
“We are following several lines, but we won’t be making a statement”, a police source told AFP.
Jihadist group Al Mourabitoun and al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) already had claimed responsibility. Sangho could not confirm those were the men in the photos released by authorities.
They were named as Abdel Hakim al-Ansari and Moadh al-Ansari. The al-Qaida-claimed attack on a Mali hotel may have been partly aimed at asserting the global terror network’s relevance as it faces an unprecedented challenge from the Islamic State group for leadership of the global jihadi movement.
There is still confusion around the nationality of the gunmen but they were said by witnesses to have spoken English.
French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Sunday his country’s efforts in Mali have not been in vain.
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French forensic specialists have arrived in Bamako to help with the identification of the victims. The travel warning says that terrorists have aimed “large sporting events, theatres, open markets, and aviation services”, so the travel alert tells people to “exercise vigilance” while in public and “avoid large crowds or crowded places”. “We forget. I don’t know whether it’s because of the problems of daily life, but people just aren’t being careful here”, said hotel worker Daouda Sissoko.
