2 Malians arrested over hotel slaughter

BAMAKO, Mali — Malian special forces have arrested two men over last week’s attack on a luxury hotel in the capital, according to a statement distributed Friday morning, as the government provided a breakdown by nationality of the 20 people killed in the attack.

The statement identified the suspects as two Malians, both arrested in Bamako, but provided no other details on their background or their potential roles in the operation.

“Questioning of these suspects will shed more light on the motivations of the perpetrators of the sordid terrorist attack perpetrated” at the Radisson Blu hotel on Nov. 20, said the statement sent by army Maj. Modibo Naman Traore.

Two gunmen armed with Kalashnikov assault rifles and explosives stormed the hotel before 7 a.m., striking just as security guards were about to change shifts. After shooting four of the five guards, killing one, they fired in the lobby and breakfast dining area before heading to the hotel’s upper floors.

Officials had previously said that 19 people were killed in addition to the gunmen, but on Friday Amadou Sangho, spokesman for the interior ministry, said there were 20 victims from seven countries.

The attack has been claimed by the Al-Mourabitoun extremist group, which said it had worked in concert with al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb.