By Reuters Staff

       1 Min Read

       FILE PHOTO: Colonel Assimi Goita, leader of two military coups and new interim president, walks during his inauguration ceremony in Bamako, Mali June 7, 2021. REUTERS/Amadou Keita

       BAMAKO (Reuters) - Mali’s interim President Assimi Goita was the target of an attempted stabbing attack during Eid al-Adha prayers at Bamako’s Grand Mosque, the West African nation’s presidency said in a statement on Twitter on Tuesday.

       “The attacker was immediately overpowered by security. Investigations are ongoing,” the presidency said.

       Two military sources told Reuters that Goita was unharmed following the attack.

       Idrissa Kone, a caretaker at the mosque, said he had seen an attacker approach the president and the president and his security guards draw their weapons.

       Goita, a 38-year-old special forces colonel, took power in June following his second overthrow of a president in nine months.

       Reporting by Tiemoko Diallo, Paul Lorgerie and Bate Felix; Writing by Cooper Inveen; Editing by Catherine Evans

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