New statement said to identify gunmen in Mali attack

Bamako: A Mauritanian news site says the Islamic extremist group that claimed responsibility for Friday's assault on a luxury hotel in Mali's capital has issued a new statement identifying the two gunmen.

Al-Akhbar, which often receives messages from Malian extremists, said the statement from the Al-Mourabitoun (The Sentinels) group named the gunmen as Abdel Hakim Al-Ansari and Moadh Al-Ansari. The statement said they were the only two who carried out the attack on the Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako, which claimed 19 lives. Initial reports from witnesses and officials suggested there could have been as many as 10 gunmen, though the bodies of only two gunmen were recovered from the scene.

Al-Mourabitoun has links to al Qaeda and the group's first statement on Friday described collaboration with Qaeda's "Sahara Emirate."