Mali arrests two after deadly hotel attack

The government of Mali announced Friday that it has arrested two men in connection with the Nov. 20 assault on the Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako that left 22 dead, including one American.

{mosads}The men, both Malian, were arrested in the capital, though officials did not specify their relationship to the assault or the al Qaeda-affiliated extremist group that claimed responsibility.

“Questioning of these suspects will shed more light on the motivations of the perpetrators of the sordid terrorist attack,” an army official said in a statement.

American and French special forces helped Malian troops liberate the hotel after a several-hours siege last week. The two known assailants, armed with AK-47s and grenades, were among the dead.