Friday, November 20, 2015

Gunmen take 170 people hostage in Mali hotel

Gunmen shouting Islamic slogans have attacked a luxury hotel popular with foreigners in Mali's capital Bamako, taking 170 people hostage, a senior source with the security forces said

The raid on the Radisson Blu hotel, which lies just west of the city centre near government ministries and diplomatic offices in the former French colony, comes a week after so-called Islamic State militants killed 129 people in Paris.

The identity of the Bamako gunmen, or the group to which they belong, is not known.

Northern Mali was occupied by Islamist fighters, some withlinks to al Qaeda, for most of 2012. Although they were driven out by a French-led military operation, sporadic violence has continued.

The security source said as many as 10 gunmen had stormed the building, firing shots and shouting "Allahu Akbar", or "Godis great" in Arabic.

  • Security sources say some hostages have been released, including those able to revite verses of the Koran

The Chinese state news agency Xinhua said several Chinese tourists were among those trapped inside the building.

The company that runs the hotel, Rezidor Group, said it understood that there were two gunmen.

"According to our information, two people are holding 140 clients and 30 employees," it said in a statement quoted by the BBC.

A senior member of the hotel's security detail said two private security guards had been injured in the early stages ofthe attack, which began at 7am.

Witnesses in the area said police had surrounded the hotel and were blocking roads leading into the neighbourhood.

The US Embassy tweeted that it was "aware of an ongoing active shooter operation at the Radisson Hotel," and instructed its citizens to stay indoors.

An Islamist group claimed responsibility for the death of five people last March in an attack on a restaurant in Bamakothat is popular with foreigners.
 rte.ie

20/11/15
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9 comments:

  1. A hostage situation was developing as gunmen attacked a hotel in Mali's capital Bamako on Friday, local media reported...

    Two people have "locked in" 140 guests and 30 employees at the Radisson hotel, the hotal chain later said.

    A Chinese guest surnamed Chen told Xinhua via Wechat mobile app that he was among a number of Chinese guests trapped in the hotel.

    So far there has been no reports of casualties.
    http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/953891.shtml

    ReplyDelete
  2. Une fusillade a éclaté vendredi matin dans l'hôtel Radisson Blu de Bamako, situé dans le centre de la capitale malienne. Les forces de sécurité ont établi un périmètre de sécurité. Suivez la situation en direct...

    • Une fusillade était en cours vendredi 20 novembre au matin, à l'hôtel Radisson Blu de Bamako, dans le centre de la capitale malienne. Des tirs d'armes automatiques pouvaient être entendus de l'extérieur de l'hôtel, qui compte 190 chambres.

    • 140 clients et 30 employés sont présents à l’intérieur de l'hôtel, a indiqué le groupe hôtelier Rezidor dans un communiqué.

    • Les forces de l'ordre ont établi un périmètre de sécurité. Le périmètre est "totalement bouclé", précise Serge Daniel, correspondant de France 24 à Bamako.

    • Le nombre, l'identité et les motivations des assaillants ne sont pas encore connus. Notre correspondant a appris que les assaillants sont arrivés dans un véhicule portant une plaque d’immatriculation du corps diplomatique. "Ça se passe au septième étage, des jihadistes sont en train de tirer dans le couloir", a déclaré une source de sécurité à l'AFP.

    • Le Radisson Blu de Bamako est l’un des hôtels les plus huppés de la capitale malienne. Beaucoup d’étrangers fréquentent cet établissement, notamment les équipages des compagnies aériennes, dont Air France................http://www.france24.com/fr/20151120-mali-fusillade-hotel-radisson-bamako-otages

    ReplyDelete
  3. "Il n'y a toujours pas de revendication, on a vérifié sur les sites et les canaux par lesquels les groupes terroristes communiquent habituellement, rapporte Serge Daniel, correspondant RFI-France 24 à Bamako...

    Mais pour les autorités sécuritaires maliennes, il n'y a pas de doute, ce sont des jihadistes qui sont les auteurs de la prise d'otages actuellement en cours à l'hôtel Radisson."............http://www.france24.com/fr/20151120-mali-fusillade-hotel-radisson-bamako-otages

    ReplyDelete
  4. Malian special forces entered the Radisson Blu in the capital Bamako on Friday after Islamist gunmen attacked the luxury hotel and took hostages, a witness and a police source said...

    "They've penetrated inside the hotel. The operations are under way," the police source said.
    jpost.com by Reuters

    ReplyDelete
  5. Heavy gunfire inside Mali hotel where hostages remain...

    Malian commandos stormed a luxury hotel in Bamako this afternoon after Islamist gunmen took 170 people, including many foreigners, hostage in the capital of the former French colony, which has been battling rebels allied to al Qaeda for several years.

    Dozens of people were reported to have escaped or been freed, but at least three were dead.

    Heavy gunfire has been heard from the hotel, where the gunmen are barricaded on the seventh floor, according to a security source and a witness.

    "Security forces are operating inside and are clearing each floor bit by bit and freeing hostages who are in their rooms," the security source said.

    "There are dozens, even around a hundred, still inside."

    In a statement, the Radisson Blu said there were still 124 guests and 13 staff still inside the hotel in Bamako.

    There has been no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

    State television showed footage of troops in camouflage fatigues wielding AK47s in the lobby of the Radisson Blu, one of Bamako's most expensive hotels...............http://www.rte.ie/news/2015/1120/747927-mali/

    ReplyDelete
  6. Des forces spéciales françaises prennent part à l'assaut mené contre les ravisseurs de l'hôtel Radisson Blu de Bamako, indique le ministère français de la Défense.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Selon notre correspondant François Rihouay : 18 à 20 personnes auraient été tuées durant la prise d'otages de l'hôtel Radisson de Bamako..............http://www.france24.com/fr/20151120-mali-fusillade-hotel-radisson-bamako-otages

      Delete
  7. Des casques bleus présents sur place disent avoir vu 27 corps à l'hôtel Radisson de Bamako, indique Reuters citant un représentant de l'ONU. Les recherches se poursuivent dans l'établissement..............http://www.france24.com/fr/20151120-mali-fusillade-hotel-radisson-bamako-otages

    ReplyDelete
  8. 18 corps ont été retrouvés dans l'hôtel de Bamako, au Mali, apprend-on d'une source militaire...

    Les corps de 18 personnes ont été retrouvés dans l'hôtel Radisson de Bamako, théâtre vendredi d'une attaque, a indiqué à l'AFP une source de sécurité étrangère, tandis que le ministre malien de la Sécurité intérieure affirmait que les assaillants ne détenaient plus d'otage.

    "Dix-huit corps ont été retrouvés", a affirmé à l'AFP cette source de sécurité étrangère sous le couvert de l'anonymat, tandis qu'une source militaire malienne affirmait que "deux terroristes ont été tués"..............Lire la suite: http://fr.sputniknews.com/international/20151120/1019683189/mali-hotel-otages.html#ixzz3s3DKqek4
    20/11/15

    ReplyDelete

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