China condemns Mali attack with three Chinese among the dead

Two of the attackers were also killed in the siege, however authorities remain on the hunt for additional suspects. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said three of its citizens were among the dead.

Two people have “locked in” 140 guests and 30 employees in an ongoing hostage-taking at a hotel in Bamako, the Radisson hotel chain said in a statement on Friday (Nov 20).

Mali’s President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita announced the mourning period on Saturday, a day after gunmen stormed the Radisson Blu hotel, which is popular with travelers and tourists, and opened fire.

Malian television broadcast chaotic scenes from inside the building as police and security personnel ushered guests to safety.

“The Zur Hadassah local committee joins in the deep grief of the Benalal family at the murder of Shmuel in the terror attack in the Malian capital”, a statement from the administrators of the town near Jerusalem read.

The dead in the hotel attack included a 41-year-old American development worker, six Russian plane crew from a cargo company, and three senior executives from the powerful state-owned China Railway Construction Corporation, officials said.

According to The Telegraph, security guards who witnessed the attack claim the terrorists behind Friday’s assault were looking for Air France crew who were staying at the Radisson hotel.

“On November 21, identification procedures were carried out with assistance of the Russian embassy to Mali and the deaths of six crew members of the Volga-Dnepr airline were confirmed”, it said. The exact number of gunmen involved in the attack is unknown, with initial reports ranging from two to more than a dozen.

Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and its affiliate, al-Murabitoun, said they were responsible. They also demanded France cease its operations in the north of Mali.

Malians awoke to a state of emergency after Friday’s assault in downtown Bamako that was claimed by an extremist group formed by notorious Algerian militant Moktar Belmoktar. Chinese President Xi Jinping condemned the killings of the Chinese citizens, and pledged that Beijing will strengthen cooperation with the global community in fighting terrorism.

One of the freed hostages, a singer from Guinea, said he heard attackers in the next room speaking English.

“Mali will not shut down because of this attack”, Keita said during a visit to the hotel on Saturday.