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| Mali hotel attack: Three days of national mourning begin | Mali hotel attack: Three days of national mourning begin |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Mali has begun three days of national mourning following Friday's militant Islamist attack on a hotel in the capital, Bamako, in which 19 people were killed. | Mali has begun three days of national mourning following Friday's militant Islamist attack on a hotel in the capital, Bamako, in which 19 people were killed. |
| Malian and international troops stormed the Radisson Blu hotel to free guests and staff being held hostage. Two gunmen were killed. | Malian and international troops stormed the Radisson Blu hotel to free guests and staff being held hostage. Two gunmen were killed. |
| Two separate Islamist groups have said they carried out the attack. | Two separate Islamist groups have said they carried out the attack. |
| Investigators have yet to determine the number and nationality of the gunmen. | Investigators have yet to determine the number and nationality of the gunmen. |
| However, one security source in Mali told the BBC officials believed that the two dead gunmen had been speaking English during the attack. | |
| The source said six of the dead were Malian, including one gendarme. Thirteen foreign nationals are confirmed dead. | The source said six of the dead were Malian, including one gendarme. Thirteen foreign nationals are confirmed dead. |
| Ahead of the three days of national mourning, the chairman of the West African regional bloc Ecowas, Senegal's President Macky Sall, visited Bamako to show support. | Ahead of the three days of national mourning, the chairman of the West African regional bloc Ecowas, Senegal's President Macky Sall, visited Bamako to show support. |
| He said on Sunday: "Mali will never be alone in this fight, we are all committed because we are all involved." | He said on Sunday: "Mali will never be alone in this fight, we are all committed because we are all involved." |
| Senegal, Mauritania and Guinea are also observing the mourning. | Senegal, Mauritania and Guinea are also observing the mourning. |
| Two militant Islamist groups have said they carried out the attack. | Two militant Islamist groups have said they carried out the attack. |
| Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and its affiliate, al-Murabitoun, said they were responsible. A spokesman told al-Jazeera two Malian gunmen had carried out the attack. | Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and its affiliate, al-Murabitoun, said they were responsible. A spokesman told al-Jazeera two Malian gunmen had carried out the attack. |
| However, the Macina Liberation Front, which has been blamed for attacks in southern Mali, also claimed responsibility. | |
| Security remains tight around major hotels in Bamako. | Security remains tight around major hotels in Bamako. |
| Gunmen entered the hotel on Friday morning, shooting and driving their vehicle through a security barrier, one eyewitness said. | Gunmen entered the hotel on Friday morning, shooting and driving their vehicle through a security barrier, one eyewitness said. |
| Most of the hotel guests and staff were freed hours later when Malian special forces, French special forces and off-duty US servicemen stormed the hotel to end the siege. | Most of the hotel guests and staff were freed hours later when Malian special forces, French special forces and off-duty US servicemen stormed the hotel to end the siege. |
| The victims | The victims |
| Why Mali is an insurgent hotspot | Why Mali is an insurgent hotspot |
| Find out about Mali | Find out about Mali |