Terrorists Seize Control Of Mali Hotel & Take 170 People Hostage
Officials say 30 people freed after reciting Koran verses in ongoing attack.
Nov. 20 2015, Updated 12:08 p.m. ET
Jihadi terrorists equipped with grenades and guns have taken 170 hostages at the Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako, Mali, leading Friday's latest developments in the ongoing international battle against terror.
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Three people have died in the attacks, according to officials. Authorities with Mali's military said that 10 attackers ran into the hotel yelling "Allahu Akbar" — Arabic for "God is great" — and opened fire on security guards at the establishment. One hotel staffer said that terrorists used grenades as well, one week after the attacks in Paris that left 129 dead; and three years after a jihadi attack in the country's northern region was ended by the French military. Officials with the U.S. Embassy confirmed an "ongoing active shooter operation," while Mali army commander Modibo Nama Traore said that up to 30 people had been released, with some witnesses saying that they were let go after being able to recite verses from the Koran.
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France Weighs In
French president Francois Hollande said his country is fully behind Mali amid the terrorist attack, urging French nationals there to reach out to the French Embassy so "that everything is made to offer them protection." Fifty of the country's top troops, especially prepared for emergency situations, have been sent from Paris to Bamako to assist with the situation, according to the national gendarme service. A Paris-to-Bamako flight scheduled for Friday was "has been cancelled," Air France spokesman Ulli Gendrot said amid the ongoing crisis.
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