Gunmen seize 170 hostages at Radisson hotel in Mali capital, at least 27 dead

BAMAKO (Mali) —  As many as 10 gunmen shouting "God is great" in Arabic stormed into the Radisson Blu Hotel in Mali's capital this morning (Nov 20) and seized 170 hostages in a siege which has left at least 27 dead.

All hostages have been freed, according to AFP reports, as of 11:33pm, Singapore time. "The attackers no longer have hostages. They are dug in in the upper floors. They are alone with the Malian special forces who are trying to dislodge them," spokesman Amadou Sangho said.

UN peacekeepers searching the hotel had made a preliminary count of 27 bodies, said a UN official, though it is not cleared whether the figure included the bodies of the two gunmen who have died or the first victim to be announced, a Belgian working for the Wallonia-Brussels regional parliament.

An African jihadist group affiliated with al Qaeda has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the claim could not immediately be verified.

Seven Algerians including diplomats have been freed when troops stormed it, Algeria's foreign minister said.

Chinese state news agency Xinhua said at least seven Chinese nationals were among the hostages, while Turkish Airlines said five out of seven Turkish Airlines crew members have been rescued.

All 20 Indian nationals being held at the hotel have been rescued, a spokesman for India's foreign ministry said on Twitter.

Twelve Air France employees who were staying at the hotel are reported to be in a "safe place", the company said in a statement, indicating it was in "constant contact" with its team of two pilots and 10 cabin crew members. All Air France flights into and out of Bamako have also been cancelled, said AFP.

A security source said some of the hostages had been freed after being made to recite verses from the Koran.

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.

"The gunmen were moving floor by floor through the building and had arrived at the seventh floor," a senior security source said.

Malian soldiers, police and special forces were on the scene as a security perimeter was set up, along with members of the UN's MINUSMA peacekeeping force in Mali and the French troops fighting jihadists in west Africa under Operation Barkhane. 

A senior member of the hotel's security detail said two private security guards had been injured in the early stages of the attack, which began at 7am (3pm, Singapore time).

The company said it was "aware of the hostage-taking that is ongoing at the property today, 20th November 2015. As per our information two persons have locked in 140 guests and 30 employees".

It added in a statement: "Our safety and security teams and our corporate team are in constant contact with the local authorities in order offer any support possible to reinstate safety and security at the hotel."

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 Islamic State (IS) militants killed 129 people in Paris.

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

President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, who is in Chad for a summit of leaders from the Sahel region, is cutting his trip short and flying home, the presidency told AFP.

"AN OBVIOUS TARGET"

The US embassy in Mali advised any American citizens in the country to shelter where they were, contact their families and monitor local media.

A French consultant who stays regularly at the hotel described it as "an obvious target for terrorists".

"The Radisson is at a crossroads, one of the roads was blocked. Security is provided by private guards. They passed a metal detector under cars," said the consultant, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

"I noticed that when they knew you, they didn't (use the metal detector) any more."

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 jihadist 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. AP/AFP/REUTERS