Suspect in Attack on Mali’s President Dies in Custody

An assailant who attempted to stab Mali's interim president Colonel Assimi Goita during the Eid Al Adha prayer, is seen lying in an army vehicle after he was arrested in Bamako, Mali July 20, 2021. Stringer/Reuters

BAMAKO, Mali—A man detained for attempting to stab Mali’s transitional president last week has died in a hospital while in custody, the government said.

The attempted stabbing of Col. Assimi Goita was on July 20 at a public ceremony at the Great Mosque in the capital, Bamako, to celebrate the Muslim holiday of sacrifice, Eid al-Adha. Goita, a special forces colonel who staged two coups within nine months and is now Mali’s transitional leader, was unharmed in the attack.