Hostages Seized in Attack on Radisson Hotel in Mali
By DIONNE SEARCEY
New York Times
NOV. 20, 2015
DAKAR, Senegal — At least two gunmen stormed a Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako, Mali, on Friday morning and seized 140 guests and 30 staff members as hostages, according to the company that runs the hotel.
Northern Mali fell under the control of Islamist militants in 2012, but a French-led offensive ousted them in 2013, although remnants of the group have staged a number of attacks on United Nations peacekeepers and Malian forces.
The hotel is known as a popular place for foreigners to stay in Bamako, a city with a population approaching two million that is the capital of Mali, and French and American citizens were among those taken hostage.
Kassim Traoré, a Malian journalist who was in a building about 50 meters from the Radisson, said the attackers asked hostages to recite a Muslim statement as a way separating Muslims from non-Muslims.
Those who could recite the statement, known as the shahada, were allowed to leave the hotel. Some of those who left, which included people from Mali and foreigners, were not wearing any clothes as they were taken to a police station.
The assault was still ongoing, with police in front of the hotel, and gunshots could be heard.
Kamissoko Lassine, the chief pastry chef of the Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako, said that two armed men arrived at the hotel between 7 a.m. and 7:30 a.m.
“They were driving a vehicle with diplomatic plates,” he said. “You know how easy that is at the hotel? The guardians just lifted the barrier.”
“They opened fire and wounded the guard at the front,” said Mr. Lassine, who said he was able to slip out through a back door and made it home safely. “They took the hotel hostage and moved people into a big hall.”
The Rezidor Hotel Group, the operator of the Radisson Blu Hotel Bamako, said that it was in contact with the local authorities, and the United States Embassy said that it was aware of the situation and issued a warning to staff members and American citizens to shelter in place.
A member of the United Nations peacekeeping force in Mali, who asked not to be identified, said there were many French people in the hotel, including Air France staff, along with a delegation for the International Organization of French Speakers.
There was no formal claim of responsibility, but supporters of the Islamic State were tweeting in celebration of the attacks under the hashtags #IslamicState, #ParisIsBurning and #Mali_Is_Burning.
In August, jihadists stormed a hotel in Sévaré, north of the capital, where United Nations staff members were staying, seizing hostages and killing at least five Malian soldiers and a United Nations contractor.
Serge Daniel reported from Bamako, Dionne Searcey from Dakar, Senegal, and Rukmini Callimachi from Paris. Lilia Blaise and Nabih Bulos contributed reporting from Paris.
New York Times
NOV. 20, 2015
DAKAR, Senegal — At least two gunmen stormed a Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako, Mali, on Friday morning and seized 140 guests and 30 staff members as hostages, according to the company that runs the hotel.
Northern Mali fell under the control of Islamist militants in 2012, but a French-led offensive ousted them in 2013, although remnants of the group have staged a number of attacks on United Nations peacekeepers and Malian forces.
The hotel is known as a popular place for foreigners to stay in Bamako, a city with a population approaching two million that is the capital of Mali, and French and American citizens were among those taken hostage.
Kassim Traoré, a Malian journalist who was in a building about 50 meters from the Radisson, said the attackers asked hostages to recite a Muslim statement as a way separating Muslims from non-Muslims.
Those who could recite the statement, known as the shahada, were allowed to leave the hotel. Some of those who left, which included people from Mali and foreigners, were not wearing any clothes as they were taken to a police station.
The assault was still ongoing, with police in front of the hotel, and gunshots could be heard.
Kamissoko Lassine, the chief pastry chef of the Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako, said that two armed men arrived at the hotel between 7 a.m. and 7:30 a.m.
“They were driving a vehicle with diplomatic plates,” he said. “You know how easy that is at the hotel? The guardians just lifted the barrier.”
“They opened fire and wounded the guard at the front,” said Mr. Lassine, who said he was able to slip out through a back door and made it home safely. “They took the hotel hostage and moved people into a big hall.”
The Rezidor Hotel Group, the operator of the Radisson Blu Hotel Bamako, said that it was in contact with the local authorities, and the United States Embassy said that it was aware of the situation and issued a warning to staff members and American citizens to shelter in place.
A member of the United Nations peacekeeping force in Mali, who asked not to be identified, said there were many French people in the hotel, including Air France staff, along with a delegation for the International Organization of French Speakers.
There was no formal claim of responsibility, but supporters of the Islamic State were tweeting in celebration of the attacks under the hashtags #IslamicState, #ParisIsBurning and #Mali_Is_Burning.
In August, jihadists stormed a hotel in Sévaré, north of the capital, where United Nations staff members were staying, seizing hostages and killing at least five Malian soldiers and a United Nations contractor.
Serge Daniel reported from Bamako, Dionne Searcey from Dakar, Senegal, and Rukmini Callimachi from Paris. Lilia Blaise and Nabih Bulos contributed reporting from Paris.
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