Malian forces arrested two men linked to a cell phone found at the scene of a deadly hotel attack by militants last week, authorities said Friday.
The men are suspected of helping execute the attack that killed 19 people at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Bamako, an army spokesman said
“They were found after a phone at the scene was connected to both suspects,” spokesman Modibo Naman Traore said.
Authorities arrested both men, who are in their early 30s, on the outskirts of the city. The spokesman did not provide details on what their exact role was.
The attack
Gunmen raided the hotel hollering “Allahu akbar” as they sprayed bullets on tables of people gathered for breakfast November 20.
The attackers did not say a word to anyone as they opened fire, employee Tamba Couye said.
They shot at “anything that moved” as terrified patrons dashed for cover all over the hotel, he said.
Siege ends
Malian and U.N. security forces rushed in and ended the siege hours later.
Two attackers died, but it’s unclear whether security forces killed them or they blew themselves up, the U.N. mission in Mali said.
Islamist militant group Al Mourabitoun claimed it teamed up with al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb to carry out the attack, according to regional media.
It said it was retaliation for government aggression in northern Mali.
Struggle for stability
Mali has struggled with instability and Islamist extremists for years.
After a March 2012 military coup plunged the country into chaos, Islamist extremists with links to al Qaeda carved out a large portion of northern Mali for themselves.
At Mali’s request, France sent thousands of troops after the coup to help push out the militants. The United Nations also established a peacekeeping mission to secure the government enough to continue a peace process.
Military pressure largely drove Islamist militants from major cities, but they regrouped in the desert areas.
