Explosion rocks French embassy in Mali

Two people have been injured in an attack on the French embassy in Malian capital of Bamako, raising concerns of al-Qaeda-linked violence in the African nation.

The attack occurred on Wednesday evening when an unknown man threw an explosive device at the embassy building, AFP reported.

French Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Christine Fages confirmed the incident, claiming the man apparently wanted to attack the embassy and it was not an accident.

They authorities have not identified the assailant who was immediately arrested after the attack. The man is being interrogated while investigations continue.

It was not immediately clear if the attacker belonged to a certain group or organization but analysts have suggested possible affiliations between the man and al-Qaeda militants in the Islamic Maghreb, who have been active in northern Mali in recent months.

The militant cell has recently claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of five French nationals, a Togolese and a Madagascan who worked at a French-owned uranium mine in northern Niger.

The foreigners were abducted on September 16 and are currently being held in northeast of Mali.

Kidnappers consider the September16 incident as a warning to France about its activities in the West African nation, which was a former French colony.

French authorities have emphasized that threats will not force them to change their policy.

Downplaying the embassy attack, Malian Tourism Minister Ndiaye Bah said on Wednesday that Mali’s Festival in the Desert scheduled for Thursday would show that terrorists’ threats in the region had been contained.