Kenya - 21 killed, Nairobi Dusit Hotel under attack, blasts & gunfire, 15 Jan 2019 *Arrests*

[GreyClay]

Nairobi Dusit hotel under attack as blasts and gunfire heard

15/01/2019

A hotel complex is under attack in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.

At least two explosions followed by sustained gunfire were heard at the compound in the Westland district of the city, which houses the Dusit hotel as well as offices.

Witnesses say they saw four armed men entering the complex. Vehicles are on fire in the car park.

People are being evacuated. Police have been sent to the scene and are trying to rescue those trapped inside.

Nairobi hotel complex under attack

 

[GreyClay]

It was not immediately clear who was behind the incident. Nairobi suffers from violent robberies but has also been targeted by Somali Islamist militants, who killed dozens of people in a shopping center in 2013 and nearly 150 students at a university in 2015.

Gunshots heard in hotel and office complex in Kenyan capital | Reuters


I think it is safe to assume al-Shabaab is behind the attack... MOO.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Al-Shabab claims Nairobi hotel complex attack

The Latest: Al-Shabab claims Nairobi hotel complex attack :: WRAL.com

The Somalia-based extremist group al-Shabab is claiming responsibility for the attack on an upscale hotel complex in Nairobi and says its members are still fighting inside.

The al-Qaida-linked group issued the claim via its radio arm, Andalus.

Explosions and gunfire have been heard at the complex in the Westlands neighborhood as dozens of people are rushed from the scene.

At least one person in bomb disposal gear can be seen. An unexploded grenade has been seen in a hallway of the shopping complex.

 

[Herat]

Oh no, more trouble for a strong Anglophile nation in east Africa

 

[JerseyGirl]

Kenyan news organizations say several people were killed in the attack. There has been no confirmation from authorities.

Casualties Reported in Attack on Nairobi Hotel Complex

 

[JerseyGirl]

The attack comes one day after a Nairobi court said three suspects accused of aiding the 2013 attack on Nairobi's Westgate Mall will be put on trial.

That attack, which killed at least 67 people, was carried out by al-Shabab.

WS thread on the 2013 attack: Kenya - 63 killed, dozens injured in Nairobi mall shooting, 21 Sept 2013

 

[GreyClay]

Attack is apparently ongoing, 15 dead including 1 American and 1 British citizen:

More than 12 hours after the assault began at Nairobi’s upscale 14 Riverside Drive complex, bursts of gunfire and blasts were heard in the area, undermining government assurances everything was under control.

By 1 a.m. local time, 15 bodies had arrived at Chiromo Mortuary and more were expected, an attendant told Reuters.

Identification papers indicated that 11 were Kenyan, one was American and one was British, he said. The other two were not carrying documents.

Gunmen kill 15 in Kenya hotel compound attack claimed by Somali Islamists | Reuters

 

[JerseyGirl]

The American who was among at least 14 people killed in a terrorist attack in Kenya was a tech executive who survived 9/11, his family said.

Jason Spindler, the 40-year-old CEO of I-DEV International, was having lunch at the DusitD2 Hotel in Nairobi on Tuesday when al-Shabab militants attacked the complex with car bombs and gunfire.

https://nypost.com/2019/01/16/american-killed-in-kenya-terrorist-attack-survived-9-11/

RIP Jason

 

[Ellmau]

The British man killed was Luke Potter, another charity worker: Briton killed in Kenya hotel attack named

US Navy SEals and a British SAS man were among the responders: Hero SAS soldier and US Navy Seals 'helped battle Islamist terrorists attacking Kenyan hotel' | Daily Mail Online

Attackers all killed.

 

[GreyClay]

The death toll is now at 21, but it may be substantially higher:

Kenyan security forces have killed all the Somali militants who stormed an upscale Nairobi hotel compound, taking at least 21 lives and forcing hundreds of people into terrifying escapes, the government said on Wednesday.

Fifty people believed to have been in the complex remained unaccounted for on Wednesday afternoon, the Kenya Red Cross said, raising the possibility of a much higher final death toll.

Kenya hotel siege over, militants and at least 21 victims dead | Reuters

 

[Ellmau]

More on the role of the SAS guy: SAS hero who stormed Kenya hotel alone 'was out shopping as terrorists attacked'

 

[iulia]

Kenya attack: Nine arrests over bloody DusitD2 hotel siege

Nine people have been arrested in Kenya following an attack on a luxury hotel compound in the capital Nairobi that killed at least 21 people.