Non-fatal injuries 33 Date 13 March 2016 Weapons Assault rifle, Grenade | No. of participants 6 Location Grand-Bassam | |
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Deaths 16 civilians and 3 special forces members
(+3 attackers) Perpetrators Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb
Al-Mourabitoun Location Grand-Bassam, Côte d’Ivoire Attack types Mass murder, Mass shooting Similar 2015 Bamako hotel attack, 2008 Danish embassy, December 11 - 2007 Algiers b, Islamabad Marriott Hotel bo, 1998 United States em | ||
On 13 March 2016, three gunmen opened fire at a beach resort in Grand-Bassam, Ivory Coast, killing at least 19 people and injuring 33 others.
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Attack
Three armed assailants attacked the Étoile du Sud hotel which, according to Agence France-Presse, was occupied by numerous expats at the time. According to officials, 15 civilians and 3 special forces soldiers were killed.
The attackers were described as African, armed with Kalashnikov rifles and grenade belts and dressed in casual clothes and balaclavas. A shootout occurred between the attackers and police forces as the assailants reached La Paillote Hotel. Local residents and tourists were evacuated by army personnel from the beach to nearby hotels, which were temporarily placed on lockdown.
The Associated Press quoted Ivorian Government officials as saying that security forces have killed six armed men. The terrorists allegedly shouted "Allahu Akbar". An American embassy delegation was at Grand-Bassam on the date of the attack, but the US Embassy in Abidjan said on Twitter that there is "no evidence that U.S. citizens were targeted nor confirmed reports of any U.S [sic] citizens as harmed."
Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and Al-Mourabitoun claimed responsibility for the attack. On 17 March, AQIM released the names of the attackers: Hamza al-Fulani and Abu Adam al-Ansari from al-Mourabitoun and Abderrahmane al-Fulani from the "Emirate of the Desert".