The office of Mali’s interim president Asimi Goita stated that Goita was attacked with a knife after the prayers of the Kulban festival at the Great Mosque of Bamako in the capital.
“The attacker was immediately subdued by security. The investigation is ongoing,” the Presidential Palace said on Twitter on Tuesday.
According to an Agence France-Presse reporter, Goita was taken away and blood stains can be seen at the scene, but it is not clear who was injured.
An official at the presidential palace later told AFP that Goita was “unharmed.” The official said that the president arrived at Katy Barracks on the outskirts of Bamako, where “the guards there have been strengthened.”
Two military sources also told Reuters that Goita was not injured after the attack.
At the time of the attack, an imam was directing believers outside the mosque to slaughter animals for the festival.
Minister of Religious Affairs Mamadou Kone told AFP that a man “attempted to attack the president with a knife” but was arrested.
The head of the Grand Mosque, Ratus Toure, said an attacker rushed towards the president but stabbed others.
Goita, 37, was sworn in last month, although he faced diplomatic opposition when he seized power for the second time in nine months.
In August 2020, Colonel Goita led a military coup. Corruption and failure to resolve the deteriorating security crisis since 2012 triggered months of anti-government protests. The embattled President Ibrahim Buba Karl Keita was overthrown.
After the coup, the Mali Transitional Government was established. Its mission is to restore civilian rule in February 2022, with Goita as the Vice President; in late May, Goita accused Interim President Barendo and Prime Minister Mokta Vanewei Able to seize power again after consulting with him on the reorganization of the cabinet.
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