Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Deadly attack in Kenya
Gunmen, explosions hit cafes, banks; survivors report bodies
People take cover Tuesday in Nairobi, Kenya, after extremists stormed a luxury hotel in a deadly attack that left a scene of bodies, blood, broken glass and fires. Officials said the area was secured about eight hours after the siege began. The Somalia-based Islamic militant group Al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the assault.
NAIROBI, Kenya — Extremists stormed a luxury hotel Tuesday in Kenya’s capital, setting off thunderous explosions and gunning down people at cafe tables and offices in an attack claimed by Africa’s deadliest Islamic militant group. A police officer said at least 15 people had died.
“It is terrible. What I have seen is terrible,” said Charles Njenga, who ran from a scene of blood, broken glass, burning vehicles and pillars of black smoke.
Al-Shabab — the Somalia-based group that carried out the 2013 attack at the nearby Westgate Mall in Nairobi that left 67 people dead — claimed responsibility for the carnage at the DusitD2 hotel complex, which includes bars, restaurants, offices and banks and is in a well-to-do neighborhood with many American, European and Indian expatriates.
A Kenyan police officer said 15 bodies had been taken to the morgue. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters. The U.S. State Department confirmed that an American citizen was among those killed, but did not release the victim’s identity. Al-Shabab asserted that 47 people were killed but its Shahada news agency post gave no details.
Authorities sent special forces into the hotel to flush out the gunmen. Early today, Kenya’s Interior Ministry said in a tweet that all buildings had been secured and there was no further threat to the public. Hours later, at dawn, another explosion and gunfire were heard. The Interior Ministry said authorities were “mopping up” the scene but did not given details on the fate of the attackers.
“To God be the Glory. We have been rescued. Over 50 people in my group. No injuries Thank you all for the support and prayers. Thanks You [Kenya defense forces],” tweeted a Kenyan businessman, Aggie Asiimwe Konde.
Lucy Wanjiru said she had been trying to flee when she saw a woman on the ground floor get shot. Wanjiru ended up in a washroom with several other scared people.
Authorities did not say how many attackers there were — or what happened to them — though Kenya’s Citizen TV aired security-camera footage that showed at least four heavily armed men in dark-colored, paramilitary-style gear.
A police officer who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media said that bodies were seen in restaurants downstairs and in offices upstairs, but “there was no time to count the dead.”
A witness who gave his name only as Ken said he saw five bodies at the hotel entrance. He said that other people were shouting for help and “when we rushed back to try to rescue them, gunshots started coming from upstairs, and we had to duck because they were targeting us and we could see two guys shooting.”
The coordinated assault began with an explosion that targeted three vehicles outside a bank, and a suicide bombing in the hotel lobby that severely wounded a number of guests, said Kenya’s national police chief, Joseph Boinnet.
Survivors reported hearing a shattering blast and saw people mowed down by gunmen in a cafe.
“We were changing our shifts, and that is when I heard a loud blast and people were screaming,” said Enoch Kibet, who works as a cleaner at the cafe and crawled out a basement gate. “I couldn’t believe I was alive. The blast was so loud and shook the whole complex.”
Like the attack at the Westgate Mall, this one appeared aimed at wealthy Kenyans and foreigners living in the country. It came a day after a magistrate ruled that three men must stand trial on charges in the Westgate Mall siege.
Al-Shabab has vowed retribution against Kenya for sending troops to Somalia since 2011. The al-Qaida-linked group has killed hundreds of people in Kenya.
In 2015, al-Shabab claimed responsibility for an attack on Kenya’s Garissa University that killed 147 people. Tuesday’s violence also came three years to the day after al-Shabab extremists attacked a Kenyan military base in Somalia, killing scores of people.
Tuesday’s carnage demonstrated al-Shabab’s continued ability to carry out acts of bloodshed despite a dramatic increase in U.S. airstrikes against it under President Donald Trump.
Tourism — an important source of revenue in Kenya, where safaris are a major attraction — has suffered because of the violence.
A Kenyan intelligence official said the country had been on high alert since November, with information about potential attacks on high-profile targets in Nairobi. The official was not authorized to talk to the media and spoke on condition of anonymity.