A luxury hotel in the capital city of Mali was stormed on Friday morning by Muslim gunmen in an attack that has left at least three people dead. The attackers have taken at least 170 people prisoner, including 140 guests and 30 hotel staff. The attack came at the Radisson Blu Hotel in the Mali capital of Bamako. The gunmen have not identified themselves, but are believed to be part of an Islamic fundamentalist insurgency that has gripped the northern part of the country.

Some of the hostages managed to break free and make a run for it, according to The Washington Post. Some of the hostages were reportedly released if they could recite a certain Islamic prayer of faith. Mali soldiers have surrounded the hotel and it is not known how many people remain inside the hotel. The Radisson Blu has been serving as a headquarters for French forces based in Mali who are there to try and eliminate the Islamic rebel insurgency.

The giant nation of Mali, with its ancient and fabled city of Timbuktu, is poised in West Africa and looms large. The Mali military command stated that at least 10 attackers shouted “God is Great” in Arabic and began blasting their way into the hotel.

Those hostages that were freed by the assailants walked out of the hotel naked and were immediately ushered to a nearby police station. A Chinese citizen who was taken hostage said the attack began around 6:30 a.m. Mali time when the hallways became full of smoke. He said that he managed to send off information and video back to China via the hotel’s Internet connection.

The hotel was full of guests and envoys from the United Nations as well as many French citizens. The U.N. people are there to try and broker a peace process between the government and Islamic rebels in the north of the country. France has had soldiers stationed there to assist in the fighting for the past 2 years.