Ivory Coast arrests suspect linked to al-Qaida beach attack

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Ivory Coast said it arrested the driver of the vehicle used in an attack by al-Qaida militants that killed 19 people at a beach in the West African nation in March.

The suspect’s vehicle was spotted during similar attacks in neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso, the Interior Ministry said in an e-mailed statement, adding that police are questioning the driver. Authorities have arrested more than 15 people linked to the assault.

“Now we have names, faces and phone numbers,” Interior Minister Hamed Bakayoko said Friday at a conference in Abidjan, the commercial capital. “We fear another attack. We remain alert and vigilant.”

Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb has killed more than 70 people since November in assaults targeting hotels in the three countries. The group, which operates out of northern Mali, has pledged to launch more attacks on countries that support military operations against them. France has more than 3,000 soldiers fighting militants in the Sahel, an arid region below the Sahara.

(c) 2016, Bloomberg ยท Olivier Monnier, Baudelaire Mieu

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