18 people were killed and a hostage crisis at the hotel in bamako. all other hostages have been said to be freed. an al qaeda splinter group claims responsibility. also, tightening eu borders, ministers agreed to more controls as part of a -- as part of new anti-terror measures. this as controls fail to protect the terrorist mastermind from

paris as he returned to syria. volkswagen usa now admits a tampered with testing on luxury cars and suvs dating back to 2009. the new disclosure could mean an additional $3 billion in fines. i am sarah kelly, thank you for joining us. we begin with a bloody and dramatic standoff in mali. initial reports indicate that 18 hostages and sheet of attackers are dead. all -- all other hostages have been said to be free. jihadists took an estimated 170 people hostage in the luxury hotel in radisson blu at the city center. a malay and group has claimed responsibility.

the situation is developing. let's bring you up-to-date on what we know so far. reporter: the heavily armed at drove into the radisson hotel grounds in the morning. they stormed the hotel lobby and opened fire. m at first i thought it was firecrackers. i did not think it was a hostage situation. but the explosions did not stop. we heard them in the entire hotel. i wanted to go into the restaurant but i saw smoke in the corridor. so i went back to my room and stayed there until the troops came. they knocked on the door and said they were security. we were evacuated in small groups down the fire escape. witnesses report the ship -- reported the men shouted "allahu ackbar." the hotel's favored by foreigners and diplomats because it is considered particularly

safe. those held prisoner include people from across europe, as well as u.s. and china. employees of air france and turkish airlines were among the hostages. speaking in paris, president hollande supported the colony. >> was again terrorists are showing their barbaric face and killing indiscriminately. we must show solidarity with the people of mali. it was midday when malian special forces stormed the hotel. they were able to gradually free the hostages, advancing them through the hotel, assisted by american and french special forces. in light of this event, the foreign minister wants to strengthen support for mali.

>> this is a sign for what appears to be islamist terrorism continuing its filthy deese -- filthy deeds. our thoughts go up to the victims and loved ones. this is also a sign that the [no audio] to provide assistance. we support france and molly and during these days in particular we are discussing with our french friend us how we can best extend our assistance and support. we will make decisions in this regard very soon. reporter: two islamic groups, including an al qaeda offshoot have claimed responsibility for the attack. sarah: we are joined on the line by oliver sorg votto -- oliver

selgado. bring us up-to-date on the search in the radisson blu at bamako. has this been totally cleared? oliver: there are many rooms in this hotel and each of the bedrooms needs to be checked. we need to know that the operation is really over. sarah: is it fair to say the attackers are accounted for at this hour? are they all dead? oliver: yes. we have three. the operation and investigation is ongoing.

it is too early to have any conclusion at this time. what i can tell you is we have three attackers and 19 civilians. three people were severely injured and other people were slightly injured. sarah: you told us when we were speaking earlier that some of the guests were part of peace talks that the u.n. and french are involved in. those peace talks are said to go relatively well. are those people accounted for at this hour? and what does this attack today mean for the peace process their? >> yes it is true part of this

agreement, the implication is -- was in this hotel. in this hotel along with other guests. what is good for us and this process is they have issued joint communique saying they will continue the discussion. sarah: all of her, there has been a claim of responsibility at this hour. we know it is an al qaeda splinter group. we know it is part of a priest process.

-- we know it is to -- oliver: many forces are operating in bamako. not only in bamako but moali. we have made tremendous progress with this peace accord and people are not happy about that. sarah: reminding our viewers this is a peace process, it began in 2013 following a lot of instability in the country that year prior. it is backed by the french and the u.n.. oliver'oliv3erer selgado. eu ministers have agreed on a series of new security measures. controls at the external borders

will be stiffened. the passport free zone will also see tighter controls, but the minister stopped short of moving ahead with a french push to create an eu intelligence agency. reporter: a show of support. french interior minister among his european colleagues in brussels. the european union says it stands with [no audio] -- to destroy terrorism. the europe we love should also do everything it can to combat terrorism. this is its duty to its citizens. after the massacre of french satirical magazine charlie hebdo, eu counterterrorism policies have seen little progress. one thing all sides agree on, checks on all travelers will

need to be tightened. agencies will strengthen their corporations and better information flows are supposed to counter weapons smuggling and the financing of terrorist activities. records show the mastermind behind last week's attacks, belgian citizen -- had traveled to other countries over the last months. none of that activity was reported to french authorities. several thousand foreign fighters, traveling jihadists, are in fighting for islamic state. from their terrorist attacks are planned and executed. that is why we need to know who is flying where and who is returning to europe. eu countries have agreed to controls at frontiers within the block. that means travelers will not only have their passports checked, but their personal information will also be compared with eu wide databases.

sarah: france's prime minister has announced the death toll has risen to 130. the news comes after french authority said a third body, that of a woman, has been found at the sight of wednesday's police raids in paris. the rate in the northern suburb also killed the ringleader of the terrorist attack. it has emerged that his brother was arrested in morocco last month a week after the atrocities. people in the french capital are still trying to recover. reporter: many are on alert over further attacks. parisians are also tight -- are also taking time to reflect and mourn. >> it means so much to me to see all the flowers. it is very moving. it is very set. it seems only like yesterday.

we are not yet ready to overcome all this sorrow. french investigators are trying to piece together more information following wednesday's police raid on an apartment. three people were killed in an assault that nearly destroyed the building. one of them was the suspected organizer of the attacks. his younger brother was reportedly arrested last month in morocco. it is not known if he provided crucial -- provided crucial information. just days after the attacks, france received intelligence -- but when he got to parents it is still in clear -- still unclear. he reiterated his determination to lock up any perpetual -- any potential perpetrators. >> we need to tell the truth to the french people. this war will be long and we need to be ready.

we will win absolutely. to intensify efforts to stop foreign fighters from crossing borders. sarah: chancellor angela merkel her policy between -- her policy before her bavarian opposition. an open arms policy -- bavaria is where most of these migrants arrive when they first arrive from germany. it is struggling to cope. merkel renewed her call to a dress the root causes for mass migration and to increase cooperation at an international level. earlier we spoke with our correspondent, who watched and goal of merkel's speech. we asked him what kind of reception the chancellor received. >> at first the reception was rather friendly. the longer angela merkel had

spoke and the more it became clear shoes try to move around the crucial points, this -- the csu has been ably pushing for the next couple of weeks, more of the tension grew in this convention and the more it became clear that this won't be the day of angela merkel. what is extraordinary is in the end, csu party chairman -- and glue merkel had to stand beside him. it looked like the teacher is telling the people how things are done properly. in the end, mark role -- in the end angela merkel left with no applause. those rather extraordinary. sarah: correspondent there in munich. we have to take a short break. when we come back, a check on our top story. a malian officials saying all of

the hostages being held at the luxury hotel in bamako have been freed. at least 18 people, though, were said to have been killed. security forces say two of the attackers are among the dead. all that and more, stay with us.

us, let's get a check on our main headline. a malian official says all of the hostages being held at a luxury hotel in the capital of bamako have been freed. at least 18 people have been thought to have been killed. two of the attackers are among the dead. suspected jihadists took an estimated 170 people hostage in the radisson blu hotel at the city center.

for some perspective on all of this, let's bring in the head of the friedrich ebert foundation, based in bamako in mali. a lot of people are saying they are not surprised about this attack. the country has been tense with political unrest and the rise of extremism. we heard from a u.n. spokesman that there is a peace process currently underway. what have you been hearing and witnessing? guests: is kind of attack -- guest: this kind of attack is not surprising. it is the same logic that applies for the attack that happened in august. it is true that the timing is a bit surprising. the peace process is underway.

there had been some unrest and fighting. a past couple of weeks have been calm here. the timing is surprising. the attack is surprising itself. sarah: have they issued any warnings that more may be ahead? guest: the embassy has issued warnings that we should stay indoors, that we should not move in the city. the malian government, as far as i know, just told people to be careful and to watch out. but other warnings have not been issued. sarah: tell us more about the group that claims responsibility for these

attacks. guest: the group is linked to al qaeda. it is the group that was also responsible or claimed responsibility for the attacks in march in bamako. it also claimed his sponsor ability for the attack in august this year. he was in charge, he was responsible for the attack in nigeria on the -- it is a radical islamist group that feels no obligation to the peace treaty. it is an anti-western group.

and fighting for an islamist state. sarah: they are not affiliated with islamic state, as was the group that conducted the attacks a week ago. now, in the wake of hate and terror, a message of love and peace. mosques across france held the first friday prayer since last week's massacre in paris, with sermons condemning the violence. here in the german capital many muslims also spoke out against violence by radical islamists. reporter: berlin's largest mosques culture member the victims of terrorism and radical islamism. it turned out to be another day of islamist mayhem just one week after the bloody attacks in

paris. >> you could say these terrorists dragged their religion ever presents mercy and peace through the mud. that is one this is also going to be a topic -- that is lives as could oscar and be a topic in today's sermon. preaching to the convocation against hate and violence, as well as terrorists acting in the name of the religion. those who mercilessly kill and murder innocent people, women, children, innocent old people, are really murdering humanity. many of the 4 million muslims in germany say they have experienced suspicion due to their religion and they facing repeated ask of hostility. >> islamism has been exploited for political reasons, that has

really bothered us as muslims. then a community in berlin has received threats and hate mail. even though it says peace and tolerance are being preached in the mosques. sarah: a change of pace, we have some business news. we turn to the volkswagen scandal, where the cooks of the story is more cars, less cash. >> more and more cars and the company is going to be spending less and less cash as far as its investments go. it will have to spend a lot on this, though. the w -- vw says the use of devices has been extended back years, back to 2000 and the description comes when the german automaker meets for a recall class.

in some cases hardware overhauled or exchanging or buying back the vehicles. the company is bracing itself for a multimillion -- multibillion euro bill. they will have a huge cut to investments next year. reporter: employees in germany do not have to fear for their jobs. but the company has announced it will scale back capital expenditures by one billion euros to deal with the admission scandal. >> we will struggle he prioritize all planned investments. anything that is not absolutely necessary will be canceled or postponed. reporter: instead the company wants to increase spending on alternative technologies. >> we are definitely not going to economize on our future. on the contrary we will focus our investment on future technologies and the reorientation of our models.

on friday, new details of the emission scandal were revealed. vw officials told environmental authorities that the use of cheating devices began five years earlier than originally reported. the company said models with larger engines were involved in the scandal, which had previously focused on cars with smaller engines. on friday, the carmaker had to present details to u.s. officials about plans to make its vehicles compliant with the countries emission standards. >> a record return to the dutch stock market. back seven years after being bailed out. is it enough to ring that gone? the government is hoping to recoup some of the dutch recoup some of the billions. still holds 18%.

extra high security in the malaysian capital. world leaders have arrived for the ozzie and summit. unconfirmed reports of an imminent terrorist threat. the president of the united states says the talks will focus on security. >> overshadowed by the attacks in paris and molly. kuala lumpur is on hilar for possible attacks speed a large contingent of security to forces -- secured forces have been employed. barack obama wants to expand economic ties with southeast asia and curb china's influence in the region. president obama: the united states wants to be a partner with the southeast nation paid it is critical for our future. it is home to so much of humanity, home to some of the

world's fastest-growing economies. that is a key focus of my foreign policy. reporter: the association wants to be the fourth largest economic power in 2015, an ambitious plan. a coalition consisting of 10 member states has something to show for it. by attracting a high volume of foreign investment, they are also creating jobs, pushing the average unemployment rate down to just 3%. >> the business update -- sarah: have a good night. a quick reminder of our top stories before we go, a malian official says that all of the hostages being held in a luxury hotel in the capital of bamako have been free. 18 people are thought to have been killed. the u.n. says several attackers are also dead. suspected jihadists took an

estimated 170 hostages in the radisson blu hotel. eu ministers have agreed on a new package of security measures in the wake of last week's paris terror attacks. france says it is keeping security at its own borders in place as long as the terrorist threat persists. and german chancellor angela merkel has once again rejected limits on the intake of refugees. that's all we have time for. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

>> this program is brought to you in part by c-i-e tours international; for over 80 years featuring all inclusive tours and go as you please value vacations throughout ireland and britain, cietours.com. ♪ ♪ >> patricia: hello and welcome. i'm patricia o'reilly and i'm delighted you could join us for another edition of "out of ireland," your weekly half hour of news and entertait