Gunfire, explosions near hotel in Burkina Faso's capital

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso – Witnesses in Burkina Faso's capital say gunfire has erupted near an upscale hotel in the city center and explosions can be heard.

An Associated Press reporter near the scene said late Friday that several cars were also ablaze outside the four-story Splendid Hotel in downtown Ouagadougou.

It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack, though jihadists have attacked hotels before in neighboring Mali, including a devastating attack on the Radisson Blu hotel in November that left 20 people dead.

While Burkina Faso has largely been spared the violence wracked by Islamic extremist groups in Mali, a Romanian national was abducted last April.