At Least 27 Dead at Radisson Blu Terror Attack in Mali

As many as 27 people are dead after terrorists storm a Radisson Blu property in Mali, while as many as seven Turkish Airlines crew members were affected by the incident.

As many as six Turkish Airlines crew members and 12 Air France staff members are confirmed to have escaped a terrorist attack in Mali, after a group of gunmen stormed a Radisson Blu property in Bamako this morning. Britain’s The Guardian reports hostages have been evacuated after a group of gunmen stormed the property and initially took as many as 170 people captive, including guests and staff of the hotel.

The situation began when the group took siege of the property at 7 a.m. local time. The hotel contained 140 guests at the time, including six American citizens and the airline crews. A Malian journalist at the scene told The New York Times the gunmen allegedly forced the hostages to speak a declaration of Muslim faith, allowing those who could recite the statement by memory to escape.

In a statement on Twitter, Air France confirmed their group of 12, including two pilots and ten cabin crew, were able to escape the situation without harm. Turkish Airlines confirmed to ABC News six of their employees at the hotel also cleared the hotel safely, with one employee unaccounted for. In addition, a spokesperson for the United States Africa Command told Reuters the six Americans were “recovered” from the hotel.

The Guardian reports Malian officials say the remaining hostages have been cleared from the building. However, in a tweet, ABC News cites UN peacekeeping forces who claim 27 people were killed during the incident. AFP reports two of the dead may be from the group of attackers, though Reuters reports gunmen may still be active in the building as of 9 a.m. Pacific Time.

The New York Times reports militant terrorist group al-Mourabitoun has taken credit for the attack, demanding the release of known associates being held in custody by the Malian government. The group allegedly said in a recording sent to Al Jazzera: “If you refuse, you know the consequences.”

Today’s incident is the latest in a series of terror attacks. On October 31, a Russian commercial aircraft was brought down over Egypt by an alleged explosive device in the cargo hold. On November 12, at least 43 were killed by two suicide bombers in Beirut. On November 13, a group of terrorists hit several targets across Paris, killing 130 people and leading to two Air France flights being diverted in the following days due to a bomb scare.

[Photo: AP]