Volga-Dnepr mourns loss of crew members in Mali attack

The Al-Murabitoun militant group, claimed responsibility for the attack, allegedly carried out in collaboration with al-Qaeda’s “Sahara Emirate”.

The attack came as fears mount over jihadist threats a week after 130 people died in the Paris attacks claimed by the Islamic State group which also said it had downed a Russian passenger jet in Egypt on October 31.

At least 19 people, including 13 foreigners, were killed when armed jihadists attacked the Radisson Blue hotel in Bomako on Friday.

The hotel will reinforce safety and security awareness with staff following the incident on Friday which saw gunmen storm the hotel, shooting guests and taking others hostage.

Security officials who had said they were searching for three people immediately said after the assault on Sunday that two were dead.

The decision to release the photos came a day after the Islamic extremist group that first claimed responsibility for the attack purported to identify the gunmen in an audio recording, according to Al-Akhbar, a Mauritanian news site that often receives messages from Malian extremists. One police official said investigators are following several leads in the case and have recovered evidence in the hotel from the more than seven-hour siege.

The investigation was “following several lines” with no certainty about the number and nationality of the perpetrators of the attacks, which have been claimed by two separate jihadist groups.

Six Volga-Dnepr crew members were rescued during the rescue operation by Special Forces and relocated onboard the aircraft within the airport’s protected area.

They were named as Abdel Hakim al-Ansari and Moadh al-Ansari.

The country declared a state of emergency after the attacks and security remains high at the major hotels, public buildings and banks.

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.

The attack in Bamako is a sharp setback for France, the region’s former colonial power which has stationed 3,500 troops in northern Mali to try to restore stability in a region ridden with competing armed groups.

The United Nations peacekeeping force in Mali, MINUSMA, however spoke of 22 fatalities, including two attackers.