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Ivory Coast Tracks Key Suspect in Beach Attack


Heavily armed gunmen opened fire Sunday at a popular Ivory Coast beach resort in Grand-Bassam, March 13, 2016.
Heavily armed gunmen opened fire Sunday at a popular Ivory Coast beach resort in Grand-Bassam, March 13, 2016.

Authorities in Ivory Coast say they have arrested 15 people suspected to have links with the deadly terrorist attack on a popular beach resort earlier this month. The national prosecutor also released a photo of a key suspect on the loose.

Ivorian authorities say the suspect, whose name they believe to be Kounta Dallah, played a key role in organizing the attack that killed 19 people in Grand-Bassam.

They are now calling for the population to help track him down.

National prosecutor Richard Adou said the man is believed to have organized and executed everything that happened in Grand-Bassam, so we have already launched a warrant against him.

No other information about him was released.

The Ivorian authorities have also announced 15 people have been arrested in connection with the attack.

Adou said they cannot release the nationalities of the suspects because the investigation is underway.

On Monday, The Associated Press, citing unnamed police sources, reported that among those arrested were at least three Malians and one Ivorian.

The national prosecutor said national and international warrants are also being prepared for other suspects.

The authorities said they are working with other countries in the investigation, and a reconstruction is planned in the coming days to better understand the succession of events.

Jihadist group al-Qaida of the Islamist Maghreb, or AQIM, claimed responsibility.

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