American killed in Burkina Faso attack identified by State Department

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An American killed in the attack by al Qaeda in Burkina Faso has been identified as Michael James Riddering, State Department spokesman John Kirby said in a statement on Saturday. The emailed statement did not provide any more information about Riddering. Kirby added that the U.S. embassy were in contact with local authorities and was working to assist U.S. citizens. Security forces in Burkina Faso retook a hotel in the capital on Saturday, a day after al Qaeda fighters seized it in an assault that killed at least 28 people from at least 18 countries and marked a major escalation of Islamist militancy in West Africa. (Reporting by Idrees Ali; Editing by David Gregorio)