The man who attacked Mali’s military President, Assimi Goita, with a knife has died in custody.
The suspect, whose identity has not been revealed, had been taken into custody following the assassination attempt at Bamako’s Grand Mosque on Tuesday.
“During investigations… his health deteriorated” and he was then hospitalized, but “unfortunately, he has died,” the government said in a statement.
It added that an autopsy had been immediately ordered to determine the cause of death.
InsightnaijaTV reports that a man armed with a knife had attempted to attack President Goita after prayers for Eid al-Adha on Tuesday.
Goita was whisked away by his security detail and later appeared on state TV to say he was doing “very well”, downplaying the significance of the assault.
“That’s part of being a leader, there are always malcontents. There are people who at any time may want to try things to cause instability”, he said
His attacker, a young man dressed in jeans and a white shirt, was apprehended at the scene and taken away by the Malian Intelligence services.
His identity was not revealed, but Commissioner Sadio Tomoda said late Tuesday that he was a teacher, without elaborating.
Prosecutors had opened an inquiry into the incident.
On Sunday, the government said the suspect’s death was not an obstacle to continuing the investigation, “especially since preliminary evidence and intelligence gathered indicate that he was not an isolated element.”
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