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| Version 14 | Version 15 |
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| Mali hotel attack: officials say hostage situation over – as it happened | Mali hotel attack: officials say hostage situation over – as it happened |
| (30 days later) | |
| 5.57pm GMT | 5.57pm GMT |
| 17:57 | 17:57 |
| A UN mission spokesman says two attackers in the hotel siege have been killed but he cannot yet confirm that operation is over. Security forces are going from room to room checking for more casualties. | A UN mission spokesman says two attackers in the hotel siege have been killed but he cannot yet confirm that operation is over. Security forces are going from room to room checking for more casualties. |
| We are going to wrap up the blog for today. You can read our latest news story here. | We are going to wrap up the blog for today. You can read our latest news story here. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 6.54pm GMT | at 6.54pm GMT |
| 5.37pm GMT | 5.37pm GMT |
| 17:37 | 17:37 |
| Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary general, has condemned the attack. A spokesman told reporters: | Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary general, has condemned the attack. A spokesman told reporters: |
| The secretary general condemns the horrific terrorist attacks at the Radisson Hotel in Bamako, which killed an unknown number of civilians and injured many more.” | The secretary general condemns the horrific terrorist attacks at the Radisson Hotel in Bamako, which killed an unknown number of civilians and injured many more.” |
| A UN official earlier told Reuters that peacekeepers had seen 27 bodies in the hotel. Malian security sources told AFP that at least 22 hostages and two gunmen had been killed. | A UN official earlier told Reuters that peacekeepers had seen 27 bodies in the hotel. Malian security sources told AFP that at least 22 hostages and two gunmen had been killed. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 5.38pm GMT | at 5.38pm GMT |
| 4.58pm GMT | 4.58pm GMT |
| 16:58 | 16:58 |
| Reuters is reporting that a security ministry spokesman said Mali special forces are still trying to dislodge Islamist gunmen from the upper floors of the hotel. | Reuters is reporting that a security ministry spokesman said Mali special forces are still trying to dislodge Islamist gunmen from the upper floors of the hotel. |
| A group of Islamist gunmen involved in the storming of a luxury hotel in Mali’s capital, Bamako, continued to hold out against security forces on Friday even after the evacuation of all civilians from the building, a security ministry spokesman, Amadou Sanghom, said. | A group of Islamist gunmen involved in the storming of a luxury hotel in Mali’s capital, Bamako, continued to hold out against security forces on Friday even after the evacuation of all civilians from the building, a security ministry spokesman, Amadou Sanghom, said. |
| 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. | 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. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 5.31pm GMT | at 5.31pm GMT |
| 4.55pm GMT | 4.55pm GMT |
| 16:55 | 16:55 |
| Alex Duval Smith | Alex Duval Smith |
| Al-Mourabitoun’s claim of responsibility on Twitter is, if genuine, the first the group has made using social media. But in all other respects there are good reasons to believe the al-Qaida-affiliated group has the capacity to carry out an attack such as the one on the Bamako hotel. | Al-Mourabitoun’s claim of responsibility on Twitter is, if genuine, the first the group has made using social media. But in all other respects there are good reasons to believe the al-Qaida-affiliated group has the capacity to carry out an attack such as the one on the Bamako hotel. |
| The group, based in the north of the country, is said to have carried out several attacks in the central and southern areas this year. It claimed responsibility for an attack on a hotel in Sévaré in central Mali in August, in which 13 people were killed, and an attack in Bamako on 7 March in which five people died when a gunman opened fire with a Kalashnikov inside the La Terrasse restaurant, on the roof of the VIP discotheque. | The group, based in the north of the country, is said to have carried out several attacks in the central and southern areas this year. It claimed responsibility for an attack on a hotel in Sévaré in central Mali in August, in which 13 people were killed, and an attack in Bamako on 7 March in which five people died when a gunman opened fire with a Kalashnikov inside the La Terrasse restaurant, on the roof of the VIP discotheque. |
| Al-Mourabitoun is led by Mokhtar Belmokhtar – the notorious jihadi believed responsible for the deadly attack on a gas plant in Algeria in 2013. The US has claimed that Belmokhtar was killed in an American air strike in June, although his fate remains unclear. | Al-Mourabitoun is led by Mokhtar Belmokhtar – the notorious jihadi believed responsible for the deadly attack on a gas plant in Algeria in 2013. The US has claimed that Belmokhtar was killed in an American air strike in June, although his fate remains unclear. |
| It was formed in 2013 out of a merger between Belmokhtar’s battalions and the Mali-based Movement for Monotheism and Jihad in West Africa (Mujao). The merger brought hundreds of largely Malian recruits into the militant group. | It was formed in 2013 out of a merger between Belmokhtar’s battalions and the Mali-based Movement for Monotheism and Jihad in West Africa (Mujao). The merger brought hundreds of largely Malian recruits into the militant group. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 4.55pm GMT | at 4.55pm GMT |
| 4.42pm GMT | 4.42pm GMT |
| 16:42 | 16:42 |
| Security forces freed 76 hostages, Malian minister says | Security forces freed 76 hostages, Malian minister says |
| The hostage situation at the hotel has ended and security forces have killed the two Islamist gunmen who stormed the building earlier in the day, says Reuters, citing security sources. Police were moving in and out of the hotel, escorting civilians, some of them wounded, a witness said. | The hostage situation at the hotel has ended and security forces have killed the two Islamist gunmen who stormed the building earlier in the day, says Reuters, citing security sources. Police were moving in and out of the hotel, escorting civilians, some of them wounded, a witness said. |
| Mali’s interior security minister Colonel Salif Traore, speaking on state-run television, said 76 people had been freed by security forces. | Mali’s interior security minister Colonel Salif Traore, speaking on state-run television, said 76 people had been freed by security forces. |
| #BREAKING: Hostage-taking in Mali hotel 'over': Malian military source | #BREAKING: Hostage-taking in Mali hotel 'over': Malian military source |
| Other sources on social media are also reporting that the assault has ended. | Other sources on social media are also reporting that the assault has ended. |
| Fin de l'assaut à l'hôtel Radisson #Bamako, #Mali. | Fin de l'assaut à l'hôtel Radisson #Bamako, #Mali. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 4.54pm GMT | at 4.54pm GMT |
| 4.26pm GMT | 4.26pm GMT |
| 16:26 | 16:26 |
| The UN peacekeepers saw 12 bodies in the basement of the hotel and another 15 on the second floor, the UN official told Reuters on condition of anonymity. He added that the UN troops were still helping Malian authorities search the hotel. | The UN peacekeepers saw 12 bodies in the basement of the hotel and another 15 on the second floor, the UN official told Reuters on condition of anonymity. He added that the UN troops were still helping Malian authorities search the hotel. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 4.31pm GMT | at 4.31pm GMT |
| 4.15pm GMT | 4.15pm GMT |
| 16:15 | 16:15 |
| 27 people killed at hotel, according to reports | 27 people killed at hotel, according to reports |
| An UN official has said that peacekeepers at the hotel saw 27 bodies, and that a search of the building was continuing, according to Reuters. | An UN official has said that peacekeepers at the hotel saw 27 bodies, and that a search of the building was continuing, according to Reuters. |
| ABC News’ Martin Cuddihy also tweeted the report. | ABC News’ Martin Cuddihy also tweeted the report. |
| Correction: UN peace keeper has counted 27 bodies at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Bamako. @abcnews | Correction: UN peace keeper has counted 27 bodies at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Bamako. @abcnews |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 4.20pm GMT | at 4.20pm GMT |
| 4.07pm GMT | 4.07pm GMT |
| 16:07 | 16:07 |
| AFP has filed more information about the Belgian national who was killed in the Mali hotel siege, and understood to have been a regional assembly official. | AFP has filed more information about the Belgian national who was killed in the Mali hotel siege, and understood to have been a regional assembly official. |
| A Belgian regional assembly official was among those killed when Islamist gunmen stormed the Radisson Blu hotel in Mali’s capital Bamako on Friday, his employer said. | A Belgian regional assembly official was among those killed when Islamist gunmen stormed the Radisson Blu hotel in Mali’s capital Bamako on Friday, his employer said. |
| Geoffrey Dieudonne, an official with the parliament of Belgium’s French-speaking community, had been in Mali for a convention, the parliament said in a statement. | Geoffrey Dieudonne, an official with the parliament of Belgium’s French-speaking community, had been in Mali for a convention, the parliament said in a statement. |
| “Mr Dieudonne, with other foreign colleagues, was in Mali to give a seminar for Malian parliamentarians,” the Brussels-based parliament said. | “Mr Dieudonne, with other foreign colleagues, was in Mali to give a seminar for Malian parliamentarians,” the Brussels-based parliament said. |
| “At this stage the exact circumstances of his tragic death are not yet known.” | “At this stage the exact circumstances of his tragic death are not yet known.” |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 4.19pm GMT | at 4.19pm GMT |
| 4.05pm GMT | 4.05pm GMT |
| 16:05 | 16:05 |
| Two gunmen killed in hotel siege, according to Malian military | Two gunmen killed in hotel siege, according to Malian military |
| BREAKING: Two gunmen killed in Mali hotel siege: Malian military | BREAKING: Two gunmen killed in Mali hotel siege: Malian military |
| 4.01pm GMT | 4.01pm GMT |
| 16:01 | 16:01 |
| All remaining hostages at the Malian siege “have been taken under the wing of the civil authorities”, ministerial adviser Amadou Sangho told French television station BFMTV. | All remaining hostages at the Malian siege “have been taken under the wing of the civil authorities”, ministerial adviser Amadou Sangho told French television station BFMTV. |
| He added the operation was undertaken “uniquely” by Malian forces. | He added the operation was undertaken “uniquely” by Malian forces. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 4.04pm GMT | at 4.04pm GMT |
| 3.59pm GMT | 3.59pm GMT |
| 15:59 | 15:59 |
| Two people tell how they were rescued by Malian security forces from Islamist gunmen who had held them hostage on Friday in a Radisson hotel in the capital, Bamako. | Two people tell how they were rescued by Malian security forces from Islamist gunmen who had held them hostage on Friday in a Radisson hotel in the capital, Bamako. |
| 3.54pm GMT | 3.54pm GMT |
| 15:54 | 15:54 |
| Jason Burke | Jason Burke |
| If al-Mourabitoun, an al-Qaida-linked group, is indeed responsible for the Bamako siege it is a stunning example of how the deep rivalry between al-Qaida, founded in 1987 or 1988, and IS, founded in 2014, is responsible for a wave of violence across much of the Islamic world and, as we found out, last week, beyond. | If al-Mourabitoun, an al-Qaida-linked group, is indeed responsible for the Bamako siege it is a stunning example of how the deep rivalry between al-Qaida, founded in 1987 or 1988, and IS, founded in 2014, is responsible for a wave of violence across much of the Islamic world and, as we found out, last week, beyond. |
| IS broke away from al-Qaida and its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and the leader of al-Qaida, Ayman al-Zawahiri, detest each other. | IS broke away from al-Qaida and its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and the leader of al-Qaida, Ayman al-Zawahiri, detest each other. |
| The world of militancy is riven with splits and doctrinal differences, personal animosities and grudges. There is also fierce competition for recruits, donations and attention. | The world of militancy is riven with splits and doctrinal differences, personal animosities and grudges. There is also fierce competition for recruits, donations and attention. |
| Security services have long been aware of how violence can escalate when groups divide or fragment and the factions battle for supremacy, each trying to outdo the other. This may well be what has driven the timing of this new operation, the first high-profile such attack by al-Qaida for some time. The group is trying to steal back some of the limelight and dominate the news agenda again, as it once did so often and so effectively. | Security services have long been aware of how violence can escalate when groups divide or fragment and the factions battle for supremacy, each trying to outdo the other. This may well be what has driven the timing of this new operation, the first high-profile such attack by al-Qaida for some time. The group is trying to steal back some of the limelight and dominate the news agenda again, as it once did so often and so effectively. |
| What appears clear is that the Paris attacks have intensified and accelerated a chaotic, dynamic reordering of alliances and capabilities within the broader landscape of Islamic militancy, meaning that an already hugely complex threat is increasingly difficult for security services to read. | What appears clear is that the Paris attacks have intensified and accelerated a chaotic, dynamic reordering of alliances and capabilities within the broader landscape of Islamic militancy, meaning that an already hugely complex threat is increasingly difficult for security services to read. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 4.28pm GMT | at 4.28pm GMT |
| 3.44pm GMT | 3.44pm GMT |
| 15:44 | 15:44 |
| A Malian official has told BFM TV that there are no more hostages being held at the hotel, according to Reuters. But there are reports on Twitter that hostages still remain on the site. | A Malian official has told BFM TV that there are no more hostages being held at the hotel, according to Reuters. But there are reports on Twitter that hostages still remain on the site. |
| Selon un journaliste malien sur place il y a encore des otages dans l'hôtel #Radisson #Bamako @itele | Selon un journaliste malien sur place il y a encore des otages dans l'hôtel #Radisson #Bamako @itele |
| 3.37pm GMT | 3.37pm GMT |
| 15:37 | 15:37 |
| Mali hotel gunmen 'holding no more hostages' | Mali hotel gunmen 'holding no more hostages' |
| AFP reports that there are no more hostages being held in the hotel. | AFP reports that there are no more hostages being held in the hotel. |
| #BREAKING: Mali hotel gunmen 'holding no more hostages': security minister | #BREAKING: Mali hotel gunmen 'holding no more hostages': security minister |
| 3.36pm GMT | 3.36pm GMT |
| 15:36 | 15:36 |
| AFP is citing a foreign security source who reports that 18 people have been killed in the attack. | AFP is citing a foreign security source who reports that 18 people have been killed in the attack. |
| #BREAKING: Eighteen bodies recovered from Mali hotel siege: foreign security source | #BREAKING: Eighteen bodies recovered from Mali hotel siege: foreign security source |
| A Belgian national is reportedly among the dead. | A Belgian national is reportedly among the dead. |
| #BREAKING: Belgian killed in Mali hotel siege: employer | #BREAKING: Belgian killed in Mali hotel siege: employer |
| 3.31pm GMT | 3.31pm GMT |
| 15:31 | 15:31 |
| Here’s a bit more information about al-Mourabitoun, the African jihadist group affiliated with al-Qaida which has claimed responsibility for the Mali hotel attack. | Here’s a bit more information about al-Mourabitoun, the African jihadist group affiliated with al-Qaida which has claimed responsibility for the Mali hotel attack. |
| Al-Mourabitoun, based in northern Mali, is made up mostly of Tuaregs and Arabs. It was formed around two years ago and is headed by former al-Qaida fighter Mokhtar Belmokhtar. | Al-Mourabitoun, based in northern Mali, is made up mostly of Tuaregs and Arabs. It was formed around two years ago and is headed by former al-Qaida fighter Mokhtar Belmokhtar. |
| The group claimed responsibility for the death of five people last March in an attack on a restaurant in Bamako; a suicide attack on a group of UN peacekeepers in northern Mali in April in which at least three people died; and an attack on a hotel in Sévaré in central Mali in August in which 17 people were killed. | The group claimed responsibility for the death of five people last March in an attack on a restaurant in Bamako; a suicide attack on a group of UN peacekeepers in northern Mali in April in which at least three people died; and an attack on a hotel in Sévaré in central Mali in August in which 17 people were killed. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 3.42pm GMT | at 3.42pm GMT |
| 3.20pm GMT | 3.20pm GMT |
| 15:20 | 15:20 |
| An unconfirmed report on a local radio station says 15 people were killed in the attack. | An unconfirmed report on a local radio station says 15 people were killed in the attack. |
| Mikado FM cited a civil protection official as a source. | Mikado FM cited a civil protection official as a source. |
| Le bilan de l'attaque terroriste à l'hôtel #Radisson s'alourdit: au moins 15 morts, selon la protection civile .#bamako #mali | Le bilan de l'attaque terroriste à l'hôtel #Radisson s'alourdit: au moins 15 morts, selon la protection civile .#bamako #mali |
| That’s it from me, I’m handing over now to my colleague Nadia Khomami. | That’s it from me, I’m handing over now to my colleague Nadia Khomami. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 3.26pm GMT | at 3.26pm GMT |