Mali says arrests two suspects linked to Bamako hotel attack

“Two suspects linked to the attack last week at the Radisson hotel have just been arrested and they are being interrogated”, one of the sources said.

The prosecutor in charge of investigating last week’s deadly assault on a luxury hotel in Mali’s capital urged residents to keep an eye out for suspicious behavior, warning of heightened security threats as officials struggled to piece together details of how the attack was plotted and executed.

On Monday, state television broadcast the photos of two gunmen killed in the attack and urged anyone with information to come forward.

Another jihadist group from central Mali, the Macina Liberation Front (LWF), also claimed responsibility, saying there were five attackers and that three escaped.

The siege freed 170 hostages and ended hours later when Malian commandos stormed the resort. “They fired on people indiscriminately”, he told the country’s parliament.

“It is only after question that we’ll learn whether the second defendant sells telephone credit or is an accomplice”, said the source, requesting anonymity. Three Islamist militant groups have claimed the strike.

The US embassy in Bamako has warned of possible “further terrorist activity” in the city.

The identity of the suspects and alleged role in Friday’s attack at the Radisson Blu Hotel remains unknown.

Christophe Monbelli- deputy police commissioner for MINUSMA, Valloir, said on Thursday a team from the FBI had arrived to assist the Malian-directed investigation.

Germany has said it is willing to send up to 650 soldiers to bolster the United Nations force which has yet to reach its full strength of 12,680 men.