Mali said on Sunday said investigators were following “several leads” in connection with the attack in which a few 170 people were taken hostage before the hotel was stormed by commandos. The broadcaster appealed for those with information about them to come forward.
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Mali began three days of national mourning today for the victims of a jihadist siege at a luxury hotel that left at least 19 dead, with neighbouring Senegal, Mauritania and Guinea joining in solidarity.
Putin, in his condolence message to Keita, said that the atrocious crime reaffirms that terrorism knows no boundaries and is a real danger for the whole world, according to the Tass news agency.
But two days after the attack, little more has been revealed on the identity of the attackers.
“They are defendants. Individuals suspected of having connections with the two terrorists (who attacked the resort)”, said a source close to the security ministry. Initial reports from witnesses and officials suggested there could have been as many as 10 gunmen.
Authorities are now “actively pursuing” at least three people over the attack in the former French colony.
“The victims of the tragedy were identified with the assistance of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Mali and we are deeply saddened to have to confirm that six Volga-Dnepr crew members lost their lives during the terrorist attack in Bamako”, the airline said in a statement. The claim underscores the shifting alliances and membership of the extremist groups in Mali and nearby countries. The group claimed a similar attack on a hotel in Sevare, a garrison town a couple of hundred kilometers north of Bamako.
A representative from northern Mali separatist groups said the assault on the hotel was an attempt to derail its fragile peace accord signed in June with the Bamako government.
The United Nations peacekeeping force in Mali, MINUSMA, however spoke of 22 fatalities, including two attackers.
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The Radisson attack was claimed by Al-Mourabitoun (The Sentinels), an extremist group formed by notorious Algerian militant Moktar Belmoktar, in a statement Friday that said it was carried out in cooperation with al-Qaida’s “Sahara Emirate”.
