At least 14 civilians and two soldiers were slaughtered Sunday after six gunmen ravaged popular beach resorts in Ivory Coast — a savage attack reportedly claimed by al-Qaeda.
The gunfire erupted near the Hotel Etoile du Sud in Grand-Bassam, and the terror spread to two nearby resorts — the Wharf Hotel and Hotel La Tavern.
Witnesses said the shooters, heavily armed and donning balaclavas, shouted “Allahu Akbar!” as they opened fire on sunbathers — and shot anyone who didn’t say it back.
“They were getting people to shout those words and they killed anyone who didn’t,” local trader Koba Maiga told The Guardian.
“Three walked side-by-side along the beach and there was a fourth man who finished off any survivors.”
Initial reports said gunmen had taken tourists and staff members hostage in one hotel, but government officials did not mention the captivity in later statements.
Security forces shot and killed all six assailants.
Officials did not say who was behind the beach bloodbath. But Islamic fighters told the Mauritanian newspaper al-Akhbar that al-Qaeda was responsible.
The victims were not immediately identified, but officials said at least four were Europeans. One was a French national, according to Le Monde It’s unclear how many people were injured.
The U.S. Embassy in Abidjan said there is no evidence American citizens were harmed or targeted.
Witnesses said some of the victims may have drowned after dashing into the waters to hide from the gunfire.
Several social media users tweeted footage of tourists running through resorts for safety, and of bloody bodies lining beaches. Photos also showed grenades and ammunition clips said to be used in the rampage.
This is the third deadly attack on a West African hotel since November, after extremists murdered dozens of vacationers in Mali and Burkina Faso.In the wake of those attacks, France warned Ivory Coast at the beignning of 2016 Islamic militants were planning an assault there — likely at a beach, according to a Bloomberg report.
