Authorities said gunmen stormed a luxury hotel in Mali on Friday morning, killing at least three people and taking more than 100 hostages.
USA Today reported that the gunmen entered the Radisson Blu hotel in the country’s capital of Bamako. One military official said that the attackers began firing guns and explosions were heard as stormed the facility.
Malian army commander Modibo Nama Traore said that about 10 gunmen inside the hotel yelled “Allahu Akbar,” which means “God is great” in Arabic. The assailants then shot at on-duty guards before rounding up guests and staffers as hostages.
Some of the guests taken hostage told local news agencies that the gunmen asked them to recite versus of the Quran and those who could were eventually let go.
The deceased are said to be two Malian nationals and one French national.
France's national gendarme service has been dispatched to the hotel.
The U.S. Embassy in Mali has confirmed that the situation at the hotel is still ongoing at this time.
Responsibility for the attack has not yet be claimed.