Militants killed five people in a gun attack on a restaurant in Mali's capital in the early hours of Saturday, including a French citizen and a Belgian security officer with the EU delegation in the country, authorities said. Mali's desert north, where French forces wrested control of territory from separatist rebels and al Qaeda-linked fighters, is plagued by frequent attacks. But this is the first such attack for years in Bamako in the south and raises fears that the capital will become targeted more by militants.
Three Malians were killed in and around La Terrasse restaurant, the government said. The attack began at around 1 am (0100 GMT) and left nine people wounded, said a senior security official, adding that two people had been arrested. "There were two individuals who were armed and hooded. One burst into the La Terrasse restaurant and opened fire on people. Then he got into a vehicle in which the other was waiting," said senior police officer Falaye Kant?.