A hotel complex in Nairobi was attacked in the early hours of Tuesday as explosions and heavy gunfire echoed around the immediate surroundings. The complex includes a large hotel known as DusitD2, banks and offices. Al-Shabab, the Somalia-based extremist group that carried out the 2013 Westgate Mall attack in Nairobi that left 67 people dead has claimed responsibility for the assault and insisted on more expected attacks.
“I just started hearing gunshots, and then started seeing people running away raising their hands up and some were entering the bank to hide for their lives,” a woman working in a neighbouring building told Reuters.
The al-Qaida-linked group issued the claim via its radio arm – Andalus, a few hours after the attack. Hundreds of people were sent fleeing in panic and several vehicles burnt. Footage from the scene showed armed officers escorting office workers and several injured people to safety as the sound of shots rang out. Cars in the compound could be seen aflame as a helicopter flew overhead. Today also marks the three-year anniversary of an Al-Shabaab attack on the El Adde military base which left over 140 Kenyan soldiers dead.
There is a lot we still don’t know about the attack at #Dusit Hotel and/or #14Riverside in Nairobi. I covered Westgate so it’s heartbreaking to be talking about this again pic.twitter.com/uIAyUgFbUE
— Larry Madowo (@LarryMadowo) January 15, 2019
Kenyan police spokesman Charles Owino in a press briefing this afternoon said a number of teams from the anti-terror unit and CID to give support to what is going. In the meantime, keep Nairobi and its people in your prayers.