BAMAKO, Mali, Africa: At least three people were killed as gunmen went on a shooting rampage at the luxury Radisson Blu hotel in Mali's capital Bamako on Friday (Nov 20), seizing 170 guests and staff in an ongoing hostage-taking, the hotel chain said.
Automatic weapons fire could be heard from outside the 190-room hotel in the city-centre, where security forces have set up a security cordon, an AFP journalist said.
Security sources said the gunmen were "jihadists" who had entered the hotel compound in a car that had diplomatic plates. "It's all happening on the seventh floor, jihadists are firing in the corridor," one security source told AFP.
The gunmen had arrived at about 7am local time, and forced through the security barrier outside the hotel, reported Reuters.
At least seven Chinese nationals were among the 170 hostages trapped in the building, reported Xinhua. Separately, Turkey also said that six Turkish Airlines staff were among those in the hotel. In addition, a French presidential source reported that French nationals were among those involved in the hostage situation.
ATTACKS DESPITE PEACE DEAL
The shooting at the Radisson follows a nearly 24-hour siege and hostage-taking at another hotel in August in the central Malian town of Sevare in which five UN workers were killed, along with four soldiers and four attackers.
Five people, including a French citizen and a Belgian, were also killed in an attack at a restaurant in Bamako in March in the first such incident in the capital.
Islamist groups have continued to wage attacks in Mali despite a June peace deal between former Tuareg rebels in the north of the country and rival pro-government armed groups.
Northern Mali fell in March-April 2012 to Al-Qaeda-linked militant groups long concentrated in the area before being ousted by an ongoing French-led military operation launched in January 2013. Despite the peace deal, large swathes of Mali remain beyond the control of government and foreign forces.
The website of the Radisson Blu in Bamako says it offers "upscale lodging close to many government offices and business sites", serving as "one of the city's most popular conference venues" with "a stunning 508-square-metre ballroom and meeting rooms".
Radisson Blu, an upscale brand of the Radisson hotel chain, has more than 230 luxury hotels and resorts worldwide.
- AFP/al
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/gunmen-seize-170-hostages/2278802.html?cid=twtcna
Automatic weapons fire could be heard from outside the 190-room hotel in the city-centre, where security forces have set up a security cordon, an AFP journalist said.
Security sources said the gunmen were "jihadists" who had entered the hotel compound in a car that had diplomatic plates. "It's all happening on the seventh floor, jihadists are firing in the corridor," one security source told AFP.
The gunmen had arrived at about 7am local time, and forced through the security barrier outside the hotel, reported Reuters.
At least seven Chinese nationals were among the 170 hostages trapped in the building, reported Xinhua. Separately, Turkey also said that six Turkish Airlines staff were among those in the hotel. In addition, a French presidential source reported that French nationals were among those involved in the hostage situation.
ATTACKS DESPITE PEACE DEAL
The shooting at the Radisson follows a nearly 24-hour siege and hostage-taking at another hotel in August in the central Malian town of Sevare in which five UN workers were killed, along with four soldiers and four attackers.
Five people, including a French citizen and a Belgian, were also killed in an attack at a restaurant in Bamako in March in the first such incident in the capital.
Islamist groups have continued to wage attacks in Mali despite a June peace deal between former Tuareg rebels in the north of the country and rival pro-government armed groups.
Northern Mali fell in March-April 2012 to Al-Qaeda-linked militant groups long concentrated in the area before being ousted by an ongoing French-led military operation launched in January 2013. Despite the peace deal, large swathes of Mali remain beyond the control of government and foreign forces.
The website of the Radisson Blu in Bamako says it offers "upscale lodging close to many government offices and business sites", serving as "one of the city's most popular conference venues" with "a stunning 508-square-metre ballroom and meeting rooms".
Radisson Blu, an upscale brand of the Radisson hotel chain, has more than 230 luxury hotels and resorts worldwide.
- AFP/al
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/gunmen-seize-170-hostages/2278802.html?cid=twtcna
