Gunmen storm Radisson Blu Hotel in Bamako, Mali this morning, taking 170 hostages

The armed men stormed the hotel and started a shooting rampage. "It is all happening on the seventh floor, jihadists are firing in the corridor," an unnamed security official told AFP. "

3 people including two Malians are said to have been killed in the hostage taking at Radisson Blu in Bamako, Mali this morning. Armed men stormed the hotel taking 170 people hostage. 80 of the hostages have so far been freed. Those freed include three Turkish Airlines staff, 12 Air France staff and Guinean singer Sekouba Bambino. More photos after the cut...

Automatic weapon fire could be heard from outside the 190-room hotel, where security forces set up a security cordon. "The Rezidor Hotel Group ... is aware of the hostage-taking that is ongoing at the property today... As per our information two persons have locked in 140 guests and 30 employees," the company said in a statement.

Mali local media reports suggests Muslim guests, and staff are being released after reciting versions from Koran. Witnesses told FRANCE24 that the attackers arrived in a car with diplomatic license plates. They stormed into the hotel shooting and screaming "ALLAHU AKBAR"

The statement said the hotel group is in constant contact with the local authorities and is closely monitoring the situation. A staff member at the Radisson Blu hotel said that the attackers used grenades in the assault. The man, who gave his name as Tamba Diarra, did not have information on casualties or the number of assailants involved, but said he was not aware of hostages having been taken at the hotel.

The US embassy in Mali asked citizens to shelter in place amid reports of an “ongoing active shooter operation” at the hotel, raising fears of an attack by
extremists.