They tried to stab the President of Mali during a religious celebration | They assure that Assimi Goita is “healthy and healthy”

Two people They tried to stab the interim president of Mali, The colonel Assimi Goita. The attack occurred on Tuesday, during the celebration of the Muslim ritual of Eid al Adha – the feast of the Sacrifice – in the Grand Mosque in the city of Bamako. A witness to the event assured that Goita “is safe and sound”

Religious Affairs Minister Mamadou Koné told AFP that a man “tried to kill the president with a knife” but was captured. The attackers were said to have been two, but only one was armed.

Another witness consulted by AFP assured that the attack can be considered an “assassination attempt”. “We are investigating. At least one person attempted to attack him today with a knife at the Grand Mosque in Bamako,” the source added, saying Goita “is safe and sound.”

“It was after the imam’s prayer and sermon, when the imam was about to sacrifice the lamb, that the young man tried to stab Assimi (Goita) in the back, but another person was injured “, said administrator Latus Touré. of the Great Mosque.

Goita, former leader of a special forces battalion, took over the presidency last month after having ousted interim president Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane.

In August 2020, Colonel Goita took part in the coup that overthrew Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, after massive social protests. Bah Ndaw was the head of a transitional government that was to call elections for the country to hold democratic elections on February 27, 2022.

Goita, displaced for nine months still accompanied by hooded men armed with assault rifles, had promised to complete the government transition.