Mali arrests suspected mastermind of multiple attacks

A man suspected of organising and carrying out several attacks in Mali has been arrested in the Malian capital Bamako.

According to Mali’s intelligence service, the man identified as a Mauritanian national, was detained on Thursday and is suspected to be the mastermind of a deadly attack at a prestigious hotel that left at least 20 people dead.

He is also suspected of having planned the deadly assaults that occurred in March and August.

The suspect is said to have been planning to stage an attack on Western targets in Bamako this weekend.

Authorities in Mali arrest fawaz Ould Almeida- linked to terror attacks incl Radisson Blu hotel & EU HQ
Was allegedly planning another one

— Samira Sawlani (@samirasawlani) April 22, 2016

Officers reportedly confiscated weapons and grenades from the suspect’s home when he was arrested.

Since November last year, Malian authorities have made about 2,000 arrests after declaring a state of emergency following the Radisson Blu attack.

Last weekend, Malian authorities apprehended a man suspected to be linked to a deadly al-Qaeda attack in March in neighbouring Ivory Coast.

Mali has suffered a spate of terror attacks, from grenades attacks to kidnappings, mainly from Islamist militant groups backed by Al Qaeda.

Earlier on Friday, three Red Cross employees who were kidnapped in northern Mali were released by their captors after nearly a week.

AFP